SMALL can be beautiful as hundreds of people discovered when they view some of the best gardens in Ludlow.

The annual Ludlow Festival of Small Gardens showed that there is no need for rolling acres to produce something floral and fragrant that can delight.

More than 300 people enjoyed a gentle Sunday afternoon wandering around the 12 delightful gardens which opened for visitors – celebrating the return of the Ludlow Small Gardens Festival.

The free minibus operated during the afternoon transporting visitors, some of whom came from Telford for the event, and the good weather made the ice-creams, being sold from the community garden created by John Osborne on the corner of Sandpits Avenue, very popular.

It missed 2015 and so the festival organisers were delighted with the ticket sales that look like bringing in around £500 profit for the Furniture Scheme, which took over the responsibility for the Small Gardens last year.

“The hard work of all the garden owners, volunteers and staff paid off and the money raised will go towards the charitable work of the Furniture Scheme and help us to improve people’s life chances, strengthen communities and increase environmental sustainability,” said James Cooper, general manager of the Furniture Scheme.

Diane Lyle, who acted as the event coordinator, said getting the festival up and running again had been a challenge but the hope is that it is now here to stay and will bloom and grow in the years ahead.