East Budleigh and Budleigh Salterton have both received gold awards in the South West in Bloom contest.

MEMBERS of a Budleigh Salterton-based floral group are in celebratory mood after finding out the town has scooped a coveted award in the South West in Bloom contest.

Budleigh has won the 2010 Gold Award in the Ayre Cup category. It is the second year running the town’s group has landed the prize.

Bob Flowerdew, former presenter of the BBC Gardeners World television show, presented the award at a special ceremony in Bath last week.

East Budleigh was also awarded gold. The village triumphed in the Mary Marimer Mortimer Trophy section.

The event was hosted by the chairman of South West in Bloom, along with representatives from the RHS, their main sponsors Viridor and the chair of the Britain in Bloom judges.

Pat Prew, chairman of Budleigh in Bloom, said: “A grand day was had by all.

“Thank you to everybody who continues to support us and all of the helpers without whom we would not be able to reach the standard necessary to gain the gold.”

Budleigh in Bloom is run by a small committee of volunteers who enthusiastically give their time to help enhance the beauty of the town with floral displays.

The win comes after the group encountered a number of problems in the run-up to judges visiting the area.

Their troubles included areas of grass not being cut on East Budleigh Road and disappointment that a boat planter which was usually filled with flowers, could not feature.

East Budleigh’s award makes it the sixth successive year the village has won gold. Beryl Maynard, the secretary and her husband, John, went to the presentation.

A delighted Beryl, commending the people of East Budleigh for their hard work in preparing for the competition, said: “The village once again pulled out all the stops and everybody worked hard to achieve the success.

“The displays reached perfection just in time for the judge’s visit and the private gardens were superb as usual.

“They particularly singled out the immaculate, sharp-edged lawns in the war memorial and the splendid floral beds. The difficult bit will be to achieve the same standard next year.”