ANGLIA in Bloom judges have praised Royston for its fantastic community spirit . Judges Brian Thornton and Colin Drew came to Royston on Monday to tour the town s gardens and flower beds as part of the competition, which sees more than 60 towns and villa

ANGLIA in Bloom judges have praised Royston for its "fantastic community spirit".

Judges Brian Thornton and Colin Drew came to Royston on Monday to tour the town's gardens and flower beds as part of the competition, which sees more than 60 towns and villages from six counties compete for prizes and the chance to enter Britain in Bloom.

Mr Thornton said: "The standards across the board in the competition are so high now.

"Four or five years ago Royston would have been guaranteed the gold award with a display like this, but now the other towns are upping their game.

"The main things we are looking for in the competitors are a good range of plants, and sustainability of the gardens."

The judges both praised Royston for the cleanliness of its streets. Mr Thornton added: "One thing you can always rely on when you visit Royston is excellent team work.

"In some places different groups work on different projects, but here everyone mucks in together. There is obviously fantastic community spirit."

Angela Louch, who chairs the Royston in Bloom committee, said: "This year we've put a particular emphasis on composting, and have used home-made compost in a lot of the hanging baskets."

Mrs Louch said that other projects they hope had wowed the judges included bat boxes which attracted rare Daubentons bats, and the refurbishment of the Coombes Community Centre gardens.

Volunteers tidied the area around the centre, in Burns Road, and planted new shrubs and trees.

The results of Anglia in Bloom will be announced at an awards ceremony on September 14.