MALVERN, Upton and Ledbury are all celebrating gold successes in the Heart of England in Bloom competition.

The awards were revealed at a ceremony in the historic surroundings of Warwick Castle on Thursday evening.

Malvern won gold in the large town category, Upton in the large village category and Ledbury in the small town category.

Malvern's win is the tenth time that it has scored gold, which delighted Malvern in Bloom chairman John Jordan.

He said: "It's great for Malvern to have won it for the tenth time. The judges commented particularly that Bloom flowers attract tourists, and that tourists are an important part of the economy of the Malvern area."

The judging team said of Malvern's entry: "Community participation is of the highest standard and number here with far too many to single out. Evidence of good environmental practice is here in abundance with some excellent work by the Malvern Hills Trust and the Malvern Community Forest Project. The independent traders at Barnards Green are doing a wonderful job working with the community."

For Ledbury they said: "Ledbury in Bloom have certainly risen to the challenge this year, despite not having a chairman as late as March; wonders have been achieved in getting the town looking so good for judging day."

And for Upton they commented: "This lovely village on the banks of the River Severn is always a delight to visit and even better when it doesn’t rain."

Around 180 delegates from villages, towns, urban communities and cities attended the presentation for this year’s entries.

President of Heart of England in Bloom, Les Goodman, said: “The judges are well aware of the hard work, commitment and enthusiasm that go into an entry.

"There is no doubt that the Heart of England campaign gives communities across the West Midlands and Gloucestershire a chance to improve the area in which they live through wonderful floral displays, environmental projects and community participation."