LUDLOW is blooming again and against the odds.

The town has won its tenth successive gold in the Heart of England in Bloom awards.

It marks a remarkable achievement for the volunteers behind the Ludlow in Bloom group.

The result means that Ludlow has won gold on 12 of the 14 occasions that it has entered the competition.

In the first year, the group was awarded bronze and after a few years of achieving gold there was a silver but since then it has been a continual ‘gold rush'.

The result this year has resulted in a special sigh of relief from the Ludlow group as the regional awards were presented in the town so there was added pressure not to let standards slide.

“It is a huge relief because it gets harder every year,” said Vivienne Parry, chair of the Ludlow in Bloom group.

“Every time we win it racks up the pressure for the following year because winning gold becomes an expectation. We are continually having to come up with new ideas because if we stand still then we will slip back.”

This year the big idea was a ‘sensory garden’ in the Castle Street car park that was made possible thanks to a grant of £12,000 from Tesco – money raised from the sale of carrier bags.

The sensory garden brings a touch of the fragrance of flowers and enables people with visual impairment to enjoy plants.

“I have no doubt that the sensory garden played a part in our success and demonstrated that we always want to try to do something new,” added Vivienne Parry.

But she said that the greatest asset is the small army of volunteers who work with the group who undertake the planning planting and care of the more than 100 different pots and planting places in and around the town.

There is also an important contribution from the businesses and commercial supporters and sponsors. The event is also supported by Ludlow Town Council who make an annual grant to the ‘In Bloom’ group.

This is partly in recognition of the fact that having a town that looks good is not just something to do in itself but also has a part of play in making Ludlow a good place to visit which is especially important given the vital part that tourism plays in the town’s economy.

Vivienne Parry said that a lot of the success is because of work that goes on unnoticed throughout the year.

The Heart of England judges are not just interested in a town looking good but also want a demonstration of community involvement and support. In Ludlow part of this included the Neighbourhood Awards.

“Our success is down to a number of things coming together including the work of Graeme Perks and his team repairing the benches in the town centre,” added Vivienne Parry.

“It has not been an easy year because of the weather which has been very dry at times and it has been a job to make sure that the plant pots are properly watered so that the roots do not dry out.”

After a brief respite and celebration, the ‘in Bloom’ volunteers will be preparing for next year and hopefully more gold.