Garden and greenhouse contest to get under way

19:04 27th January 2010

A total of 66 communities will contest a major garden and greenhouse competition this year, it has been revealed.

The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) recently announced the cities, towns, villages and hamlets that will take part in the annual Britain in Bloom finals.

The participants will be hoping to match the achievements of Nottingham, which won the Champion of Champions title in last year's event.

Other winners included Sheffield, which took gold for best large city, and Bristol's Clifton Village, which won gold for being the best urban community.

The competition has come a long way since its launch in 1964, according to RHS community horticultural manager Stephanie Eynon.

"Today we see the competition as a genuinely relevant and integrated initiative, enabling people to join together to improve their local communities through a range of long-term, sustainable and locally defined projects," she said.

Ms Eynon added that the competition evokes a sense of civic pride in participants and is also beneficial for the environment.