JUBILANT members of the Dursley In Bloom team are celebrating after they helped the town achieve a Heart of England Gold Standard Award.

Volunteers from the committee were delighted to be presented with the RHS (Royal Horticultural Society) award for the Small Town Category last Thursday.

Les Goodman, President and Judge of the Heart of England Award, presented the award to volunteers Keith Thomson, Joy Price and Penny Badham. They were accompanied, and driven to the venue at Aldridge Parish Church in Birmingham, by Dursley Town Mayor, Neil Grecian.

John Kay, from Dursley Town Council, said: “This is a magnificent achievement for the town -demonstrating the hard work and effort made by the volunteers of the Dursley in Bloom team.”

Dursley in Bloom member Ronnie Harding said: “It’s fantastic - we are so pleased. Everyone has worked so hard this year so it’s well deserved.”

She added: “The late Malcolm Tarling, former chairman of Stroud In Bloom, gave us lots of gardening tips. We would like to thank him in memory. Also a special thanks to Gerry and Sean, the council groundsmen who water the planters three times a week.”

The town was previously awarded a Gold medal in 2014 and a Silver Gilt award last year.

Volunteer, Penny Hyde, said: “We lived in hope. This year we tried harder with our coloured plants and perennials – choosing ones with brightly coloured leaves.

“When the results came through we were absolutely thrilled on getting gold.

“The results are not only based on the floral displays - we are also judged on community involvement, our recycling and how we keep the town clean and tidy. It’s the little things too that are important – like keeping the notice boards up-to-date.”

“Our biggest challenge has been drunken idiots who come out of pubs around town and throw the plants around. Before my holiday I planted 6 hydrangea, big beautiful pink flowers, and after the bank holiday weekend they had been trampled to nothing. It’s sad when people do things like that.”

The team encouraged many local organisations to become involved. This included students from Rednock School and The Peak Academy, Kitts Green Nursery, as well as local Scout and Cub groups.

Their support allowed for the development of the Secret Garden behind the Chantry Centre, and additional hanging baskets in the town, amongst other winning ideas.

Penny Hyde adds: “We are a friendly and informal group of a dozen or so volunteers who aim to make the town look pretty’. Anyone interested in joining Dursley in Bloom can contact her by email pennyhyde46@hotmail.co.uk at or call her on 01453 549296.

She is looking forward to celebrating their success at their next meeting on Monday with a well-deserved glass of bubbly.