FARNHAM Town Council is celebrating what may well be its best result yet in this year’s South and South East in Bloom competition.

The town netted four gold awards, was the winner in three categories and won a special award for biodiversity.

This year’s campaign was, in theory, a year of consolidation following two retirements and a job move for an experienced member of the team. However, the new team rose to the challenge and made their mark on Farnham in Bloom’s 2018 entry with a number of new activities and creative planting schemes.

Stephen Hill, lead member for Farnham in Bloom, said: “I am absolutely thrilled for everybody who has been involved in this year’s campaign.

“Every year, we see more and more people taking part in Farnham in Bloom activities ranging from community litter picks and free gardening workshops for children, to people sponsoring hanging baskets or entering one of the many gardening-related competitions.

“Thanks to a performance by children from The Dance Movement and projects run by community artist Jo Aylwin, we’ve seen how the arts can be seamlessly incorporated into Farnham in Bloom.

“It has been said before, but it is true that Farnham in Bloom is about so much more than flowers - it’s about engendering pride, new skills and knowledge and making our town and villages better places to live.”

The judges of Farnham in Bloom gave Farnham a special biodiversity award in recognition of projects that encourage wildlife to live and thrive alongside people. Projects such as those carried out by Bourne Conservation and the Bishop’s Meadow Trust are ongoing and implemented over several years.

In 2018, new wildflower plantings at Hickley’s Corner and West Street Cemetery supported pollinators.

A video showing some of the Farnham in Bloom projects can be seen at www.farnham.gov.uk/bloom.