JUDGING has taken place in Dursley to decide whether the town deserves an elusive gold from the Heart of England in Bloom body.

With the help of a wealth of community groups and schools, the Dursley In Bloom team have made the town shine and full of colour just in time for the judges’ arrival on Wednesday last week.

The panellists were driven around on their two and a half hour tour of the beauty spots of the area in a vintage Alvis car after being presented with a portfolio of the town’s hard work.

Dursley Mayor, Cllr Jane Ball, welcomed the judges to the town and praised the commitment of the volunteers involved.

“Well done to so many people and the hard work they put in top this, they have done so much,” she said.

“We are very proud of them all. I wish everybody the best of luck.”

Presenting the Dursley In Bloom team’s challenge for the gold medal was chairman Simon Potter, who said he saw a lot of hard work done by an awful lot of people, not just In Bloom members.

“They have helped us make the town look as good as it is,” he said.

“This year has been a bit easier in some ways and harder in others. There has not been as much rain and a lot of sun and the weeds have taken advantage of that.”

Judge Graham Redfern, who was accompanied by vice chairman of the Heart of England In Bloom, Roger Bache, said it was not just about flowers these days.

“We’re looking at the horticulture, it’s a very important part, but increasingly as important is the community involvement and the environment around the town,” he said.

“It’s so important to keep a community together with towns like this. It’s about civic pride. It can bring people together who have never spoken to each other before and the younger generations as well.”

Dursley In Bloom has received a silver gilt award twice in a row after narrowly missing out on gold by two points last year.

The awards will be announced on Thursday, September 11 in Shrewsbury.