Villages to star in Britain in Bloom

The pair have featured strongly in past competitions by the Royal Horticultural Society, and Scholes will be up against the best from throughout the UK in the Large Village and Spofforth in the Village category.

Spofforth in Bloom has a string of gold awards in the RHS Britain in Bloom contest, dating back to 2011.

Its star feature includes the Millennium Garden.

The group was formed in 1985 and is now run by a dedicated committee who are responsible for planning and progression.

Scholes in Bloom was formed in March 2003 by members of the Parish Council and was a Britain in Bloom finalist in 2015.

The group was started to keep the village clean and tidy and improve the green and floral public spaces.

Now in its 54th year, the RHS Britain in Bloom nationwide competition pits rural villages, urban corners and city centres against one another across a range of criteria that includes horticultural know-how, community engagement, efforts to bolster biodiversity and climate change adaptation.

Finalists are put forward to the national final based on their progress locally and will be scored by a team of RHS national judges in the summer.

In 2018 the finalists will compete across 12 categories with the South West laying claim to the greatest number of finalists.

Chairman of the Britain in Bloom judging panel, Darren Share said: “The Britain in Bloom campaign galvanises communities and provides the driving force for thousands of gardening enthusiasts across the country.

“Britain in Bloom groups work tirelessly throughout the year to tackle local issues and improve the place they call home.

“Everyone benefits from the work these groups carry out and I have seen first-hand the positive impact Britain in Bloom has in bringing communities together.”

The RHS Britain in Bloom judges will visit the finalists in August with the winners of each category and finalists’ final score – from Gold to Bronze - announced at a ceremony in Belfast on October 19.

For the first time, a new BBC Two series following the competition is set to air this spring, featuring five finalists – Immingham, Lytham, Shrewsbury, Tewkesbury and Usk.