Wednesday July 23- Judging Day for Woolwell in Bloom and the supportive honking of car horns accompanied the judges as they wandered around.

The community lies in the north west corner of the South Hams but with a Plymouth postal address..

Founder of Woolwell in Bloom Soraya Lewis-Coleman told us all about it:

“I wanted a challenge for my 60th birthday so back in 2018 I came up with the idea after watching Britain in Bloom on the TV.

“The rest is history, as they say.

“It took a lot or work but I soon found volunteers and some of those ‘Bloomers’ (or ‘Blue Tops’) here today came to the first public meeting I held.

Soraya then told us about the highlights: “Our first year we entered ‘It’s Your Neighbourhood’ and got level five outstanding and the RHS moved us up into the category we've got now.

They won the Silver Gilt for Britain in 2022 and 2023.

“Then last year we won gold, so we got our pennant and then we went on to the next stage and got voted ‘Best Village in Devon, which is a huge accolade.

“The third highlight is this year we started ‘Junior Bloomers’.

“Our youngest is two and our oldest is 12.

“They meet once a month and do flowers and veg and all sorts and they love it.

Barbara Hannan, judge for RHS South West in Bloom tells us about her work:

“This is all voluntary work but this year I've been partnered with Bob and we're doing the ‘Small Pennant’ entries in Cornwall Devon and Dorset.

“It involves traveling round looking at very nice villages and talking to an awful lot of very nice people as a rule.

“For this we have two hours and then any there are small projects called IYNs ‘It's Your Neighbourhoods’ which are judged in a separate separate way.”

Judge Bob Ollier is highly experienced as he explained:

“I first got involved in Bloom 1987 and I've been judging since 2002.

“It must be hundreds hundreds of different places from small villages medium villages, large towns, cities and Business Improvement Districts (BIDs), plenty of IYNs (see above) and schools.

What are the judges looking for: “We're looking to see what Woolwell want to show us.

“The very best of all the projects that their volunteers have been involved in, such as this one which is Woolwell Well so it's their opportunity to show off all their community efforts be they horticultural, what the volunteers do or the environmental areas that they look after, so that they can show us the best that Woolworth can offer us.

“How clean it all is, how they manage the curb edges, all the environmental factors throughout Woolwell.

The group will hear the results on October 8 and they would like to win another gold award.

Soraya concluded: The community give us so much support that whatever we get, they will love and I feel very fortunate having lived here for 41years.

If you would like to become a ‘Bloomer’ or ‘Junior Bloomer’ you can call 07746 790167 or e-0mail [email protected]