NEXT year's RHS Malvern Spring Festival is set to take visitors on a journey of discovery.

Following on from this year’s hugely successful celebration of Malvern’s heritage as a Victorian

spa resort, inspiration for next year’s show is being drawn from the Great Exhibition of 1851.

Hosted at the Three Counties Showground in May set against the backdrop of the Malvern Hills, the theme will bring the influences of The Great Exhibition into 21st century living.

Head of show Diana Walton said: “We're channelling the spirit of the Great Exhibition with

plenty of innovation, education and a spectacular day out.

"There’ll be so much for visitors to explore. We’re also linking into the ambition of the Great Exhibition and hoping that just as its influence lived on long after the event, our visitors will have such a memorable day it will leave a lasting impression for many years to come.”

The town of Malvern was put in the spotlight in 1851 when its prized waters formed the Great Exhibition centrepiece. At the opening ceremony, led by Queen Victoria, its waters cascaded through a 26ft crystal fountain.

“We’ll certainly have our own striking features to admire," she said. "We’ve introduced lots of fresh aspects to surprise and delight such as giant terrariums and the Great Pavilion of Art and Flowers, as well as our brand new garden feature, Green Living Spaces.

"We believe that we showcase the very best in gardening, food and lifestyle, from our inspiring show gardens and award-winning nurseries to fabulous food from inspirational chefs and lots of family fun, we know our 2018 festival is going to be magnificent.”

The show attracts some of the top designers and businesses in the field of horticulture, and all exhibitors' places at the Floral Marquee and the Plant Village ha be already sold out.

Another new feature is Grow and Know, which will centre around an eco marquee with talks on sustainable gardening, demonstrations and interactive art around the theme of community and growing food.

Eco landscape designer Hannah Genders said: “I’ve had the privilege of creating a number of show gardens over the years and this was the best thing I’ve ever done at a show. I’m back in 2018 with a bigger and better space and more stories to inspire. I can’t wait!”

The spring festival is one of the only RHS Shows to have show gardens designed and built entirely by young people. Led by BBC Blue Peter gardener Chris Collins, the school garden challenge inspires youngsters across the country to design and build their own gardens.

And the Food and Drink Pavilion is a celebration of British tastes with offerings from the country’s best artisan producers.