Blooming marvellous crop of winners for annual garden competition

Winners of the Malmesbury in Bloom Garden Competition, and the children’s Multimedia Art Competition, have gathered together for an awards ceremony at the Town Hall.

Organised by Malmesbury Town Council, the two competitions run hand-in-hand and showcase the best of Malmesbury’s green-fingered residents and business owners, as well as the artistic talents of local children.

Malmesbury Mayor Cllr Phil Exton presented certificates and goody bags to the children, and later in the evening gave out certificates and cups to the successful gardeners.

He was ably assisted by councillors Catherine Doody and Kim Power, who helped organise the competitions. The garden entries were judged by garden designer Kevin Franklin, while the children’s artwork was judged by former teachers Rose Scanlon and Suzanne Tennant.

Commenting on the children’s artwork, Cllr Exton said: “The standard was exceptionally high, and the judges had great difficulty in deciding on the winners. We had 200 entries, and it was wonderful to see how much artistic talent there is in the town.”

There were a number of categories for the Malmesbury In Bloom competition, including best vegetable patch, commercial premises, and large garden.

The overall winner was Roy Wain. Special thanks went to the team who carry out conservation work at Malmesbury Cemetery - Ann Skinner, Melissa Robb, and Sue Alex -  and to Shaun Bleaken and Mark Williams, who look after the town’s many hanging baskets and floral displays.

Cllr Exton added: “It was lovely to see everyone here and to present these awards. Thank you to everyone who works so hard to make our town such a beautiful place to live in, to work in and to visit.”

Full details of the winners, and photos, will be on the Malmesbury Town Council website at https://www.malmesbury.gov.uk/.