TWO of the police’s top dogs have visited a small army of green-fingered troops to recognise their ongoing community work.

Denbigh in Bloom, a gardening volunteer group that is providing Denbigh with floral makeover, was visited by Arfon Jones, the North Wales Police and Crime commissioner and Lady Elizabeth Hanmer, high sheriff for the Vale of Clwyd last week to see how the group is using the grant it was recently awarded.

The group received £2,000 from the commissioner's Your Community Your Choice Awards, run in conjunction with the North Wales Community Trust to support initiatives that have a positive impact in local communities and encourage a safer environment and an increased quality of life.

The funding enabled the volunteer-led group, led by chair Lyndsey Tasker and vice chair Helena Cawthray, to purchase new planters to give the town's high street a floral revolution.

These have been filled with flowers by a small army of green-fingered helpers, including children from local primary schools, tots from a day nursery and residents at a care home.

The group could also acquire propagators, tools, compost and pots to nurture the seedlings.

Commissioner Jones said: “The work done by the volunteers in Denbigh is so important because if you allow an area to go downhill then crime and vandalism increase but if you make it something that is attractive then people take pride in it.

“I’m delighted that the children have been involved because it is so important that they are proud of their town and looking at what they have done it is clear that this was money well spent.

“The Your Community Your Choice awards are aimed at helping organisations to run projects which tackle anti-social behaviour and combat crime in line with the priorities in my Police and Crime Plan and Denbigh in Bloom fits the bill perfectly.”

The police dignitaries were joined by Sarah Noton, under sheriff for the Vale of Clywd, and Catherine Jones, mayor of Denbigh, as well as primary school pupils from Ysgol Twm o’r Nant, Ysgol Pendref and Ysgol Frongoch who have taken part in the group's work on Denbigh high street.

Lady Hanmer, accompanied by the Under Sheriff, Sarah Noton, of leading law firm Swayne Johnson, was also impressed and told pupils from Frongoch, Pendref and Twm o’r Nant primary schools: “I hope you have all enjoyed helping look after the flowers. It’s very much appreciated and has created a lovely display to brighten the town centre.”

This is the fifth year of the commissioner's awards scheme, which gains its funding from money recovered through the Proceeds of Crime Act, using cash seized from offenders to supplement the commissioner's own private donations.

Lyndsey Tasker, chair of Denbigh in Bloom said: “We started in the summer of 2016 with just a couple of people who wanted to make the town look a bit brighter.

“We now have over 100 people taking part in the scheme from the wider community and the grant has come as a huge boost to us, especially as all our funding comes though sponsorship, donations and grant applications.”