Farnham has received a gold medal in the large town category in the prestigious Britain in Bloom awards.

It is the third consecutive year that Farnham has won gold in the national competition. 

Judges visited in July when the South East was experiencing drought and record temperatures.

Despite this, Farnham also won top awards in the regional competition, South and South East in Bloom, including best in category for large town and for Badshot Lea Cemetery. 

Farnham was one of eight towns shortlisted in the large town category for Britain in Bloom.

The shortlist included towns in counties from as far south as Somerset to Cumbria in the north.

Among this year’s highlights for Farnham are the planting of 170 trees (with 300 more scheduled by the end of the year), extension of 12 wildflower areas, horticultural workshops for secondary schools, support for over 50 community groups and participation of 11 local schools. 

The organisers estimate that there were over 28,000 hours of volunteer activity dedicated to this year’s competition entry.

Although the biggest visual impact of Farnham in Bloom can be seen in the summer months, there are activities across the whole year with lots of volunteering opportunities in spring and autumn.

Anybody who is interested in volunteering should email [email protected]

See this Thursday’s Herald for a full report of Farnham’s Britain in Bloom success and last week’s Farnham in Bloom Community Awards...