PREPARATIONS for this year’s City of Worcester Flower Show are already well under way and two well-known faces will be returning as judges.

Andy Allen is well-known in local horticultural circles as chairman of the Worcester Allotment Forum and vice-chairman of the Worcestershire Allotment and Garden Association.

He judges at several local shows during the season and together with his co-judge, Bill Simpson, leads seminars on preparing produce for the showbench.

Bill is the former principal of Pershore College and has been involved with Worcester City judging for many years – Worcester in Bloom, the Allotments Competition and the Worcester Flower Show since its revival.

He is a national Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) judge of horticultural trade exhibits at the society’s shows – including Chelsea, Malvern, BBC Gardeners’ World Live, Hampton Court Palace and others.

The classes being judged by Andy and Bill in the City of Worcester Flower Show are Section 1 Floral (18 classes) and Section 3 Fruit and Vegetables (28 classes).

This year there are three new classes – two for fuchsias, and a third featuring a hanging basket, planted for decorative purposes.

Judging of all classes will be in accordance with the guidelines given in the Horticultural Show Handbook published by the RHS.

Points are allocated for first, second and third places and the exhibitor gaining the most points overall is awarded a cup or trophy.

Competition is fierce, with the judges looking for perfection!

They will be looking out for the condition, uniformity, meritorious or defective features in flowers, pot plants, fruit and vegetables.

Both Andy and Bill will also be assessing city allotments at the end of June/early July and encourage all allotment holders to enter the 2013 competition.

The eighth annual show is being held in Gheluvelt Park on Sunday, August 18, and this year, there are 93 classes for the gardeners, craft lovers, budding photographers, cooks and children to enter.

There will also be nine societies – including the South Worcestershire Bonsai Society, North Worcestershire Fuchsia Society and Worcester Bee Keepers, to name but a few.

Andrew Easton, presenter of BBC Hereford and Worcester’s Drive Time show, will host the day, with renowned gardening presenters Reg Moule and Mike George hosting a Gardeners’ Question Time.

To enter a class or to find out more about the event, go to worcester.gov.uk/flowershow or call the customer service centre on 01905 722233.