I AM not usually one for 7am starts, but taking part in Farnham’s Britain in Bloom preparations was a pleasantly rewarding experience, writes Herald reporter Lauren Wise.

In a wonderful community effort, a handful of residents rolled up their sleeves and stepped up to the plate last Wednesday to take part in a voluntary litter picking scheme to help prepare the town for the Royal Horticultural Society judges.

Working together in sections, we cleared the town of any stray rubbish, to ensure no points would be deducted from Farnham’s bid to secure gold.

Town councillor Carole Cockburn was thankful for all the volunteers’ help. She said: “I have been a councillor for 20 years, and I used to be able to do 101 different things at once.

“While I can still do that, it just takes a bit more time, so I’m grateful for everyone’s help.”

On the same day, judges met with businesses and volunteers who had contributed a total of 15,500 hours to make Farnham just that extra bit cleaner and greener.

While I was dreading the early morning start, I felt like I really had done my bit to help the town prepare for an event which is really valued and respected by the community.

Farnham previously secured Britain in Bloom gold in 2017 and is hoping for a repeat this year. Results will be announced later this month once visits to all the entrants have been completed.