SUPPORTERS of Upton's Heart of England in Bloom bid are laying plans to ensure the town repeats its gold medal performance in 2004.

Mayor Eric White was joined by residents and horticultural experts at a meeting on Monday night, at The Anchor, to discuss issues like fundraising, decorating the town and sponsorship.

Brian Reeve, who has been involved with the Heart of England in Bloom competition for the past nine years, advised committee members that getting a gold in the first year of entering was very unusual and that they would need to start work immediately if they wanted to be as successful next year.

He said that community involvement was of equal importance to the end result.

It was decided that new daffodils would be planted around the town on Saturday, October 11, and children from local schools would be invited to get involved by growing their own flowers.

Margery Faulkner, who owns Arondor nurseries in Naunton and is a member of Upton Gardening Club, volunteered to help the pupils with this.

Mr Reeve said: "What I think goes down well is to get an expert to go into the schools and show the children how to grow things and, when they are ready, designate an evening when everybody can see it. It's a good way of introducing the schools."

Committee members decided that more flowers should be put around the bridge, so they were obvious to anyone entering the town from either direction.

The churchyard was also targeted as somewhere that needed more blooms.

The cost of staging next year's display has not yet been calculated. However, members put forward ideas for fundraising, including opening gardens in the area and selling flower bulbs in shops in the town.

The next committee meeting will be on Wednesday, October 22, at 7.30pm, at The Anchor