TWO volunteer gardening groups in North Wales will pick up pitchfork and spade ahead of a prestigious UK competition this summer.

Now in its 56th year, the Royal Horticultural Society’s Britain in Bloom will see 70 finalists showcase their horticultural skills, community and environmental efforts.

Finalists are put forward to the UK final following regional and national awards in 2018 in categories including villages, towns and coastal communities.

Denbigh in Bloom and Colwyn in Bloom will compete after they won the town and large town categories respectively in the 2019 Wales in Bloom competition.

The Denbigh group won the national competition in its first attempt having planted floral displays along Denbigh High Street, in a red telephone box, on roundabouts and painted no fewer than 78 bollards.

They will be joined by their Colwyn Bay counterparts in the large town category, which won gold at Britain in Bloom in 2018 for its beach and woodland effort.

Each will be visited by a pair of RHS judges in August as they vie for a medal, a category win and to be named Champion of Champions.

Also representing Wales are Mathern, Mounton and Pwllmeyric; and Usk in the village and large village categories.

Last year, the Scottish city of Perth was named Britain in Bloom’s Champion of Champions after it impressed with a whole-community approach to sustainability, pollinator-friendly planting and campaign to raise awareness of and collect plastic waste.

Darren Share, chair of the Britain in Bloom judging panel, said: “We’re noticing more towns and cities keen to tackle some of today’s most pressing challenges by tapping into the benefits of urban greening, with reasons ranging from concerns about our changing climate and air pollution to turning the tide on high street decline.”

For more information about RHS Britain in Bloom and to search for community gardening groups in your area please visit https://www.rhs.org.uk/communities/find-a-group-search-form