THE  hard work of volunteers and council staff has been rewarded with a Heart of England in Bloom Gold award.

Judges David and Lesley Pritchard visited the town in July and were impressed with what they saw.

Their tour of Malvern included Great Malvern Cemetery, Malvern Hills Trust land, Priory Park, Great Malvern Priory Church, Rosebank Gardens, Great Malvern Library and Gardens, and finished at Malvern Cube.

They met with representatives from groups including Malvern Spa Association, Malvern Cube volunteers and Great Malvern Library gardening groups.  

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Mayor Clive Hooper and the Malvern in Bloom chairman David Watkins attended an awards ceremony in Sutton Coldfield last Thursday (October 5) and picked up the award on behalf of the town.

Cllr Watkins, who is also the deputy mayor of Malvern, said: “This is an excellent achievement for Malvern, and thanks must go to all the town council staff involved as well as to the ‘In Bloom’ volunteers and those from partnership organisations within the town.

“The Heart of England in Bloom is about much more than just horticulture and a lot of hard work has gone into the town’s entry.”

The two judges noted on their visit to Malvern that there is a great sense of community spirit and involvement from so many organisations and individuals that quietly work away in the background to make things happen.

They also commented that it was fabulous to see street furniture and signage being maintained and erected throughout Malvern, including Rosebank Gardens’ Malvern sign and the continued development of Malvern over the past two years.