Linlithgow is blooming great
Town wins accolade in RHS competition
A West Lothian town has shown it’s blooming marvellous.
The Royal Horticultural Society’s ( RHS) held its annual Britain in Bloom awards ceremony in Belfast.
And Linlithgow scooped the Gold and category winner in the Town category, and Ron Smith won the community champion award.
The town was praised for its “magnificent’ community-led entry.
Finalists are judged on their horticultural achievement , community participation and environmental responsibility with the RHS judges visiting communities from the end of July after months of hot and dry weather.
Darren Share, chair of the RHS Britain in Bloom judges, said: “This year’s finalists faced the most challenging conditions the competition has ever seen with much of the country under snow and ice at the start of spring followed by the joint-hottest summer on record.
“That so many groups have walked away with top medals is remarkable and a reflection of communities’ hard work, ingenuity and horticultural know-how.”
Derek Robertson, chief executive of Keep Scotland Beautiful, said: “We’re delighted that five groups from Scotland - Aberdeen, East Haven, Falkirk, Linlithgow and Perth – are Britain in Bloom finalists this year.
“It’s great to see such commitment to improving the environmental quality of the places they live in and care for – especially during such a hot summer.
“Keep Scotland Beautiful, in partnership with the RHS, has supported the work of these community groups, and the many others like them, for decades. Their hard work - raising horticultural standards, focusing on sustainability and reaching out to their communities - has had a positive impact on all who live in and visit these locations.”
The Scottish finalists collected their awards from Chris Bavin, presenter of BBC Two’s ‘Britain in Bloom’ TV series and guest speaker at the awards ceremony.
The full results for RHS Britain in Bloom 2018 are at www.rhs.org.uk/ bloomawards2018