Village wins Britain in Bloom for third time

Adrian Thompson, Joy Baldry and Glen Unstead were delighted to have won the award

A village in the Norfolk Broads has scooped the top award in the annual Britain in Bloom competition.

Filby was named as winner of the Best Village section, having also won gold prize in the regional Anglia in Bloom contest.

It is the third time the village near Great Yarmouth has won, with previous successes in 2002 and 2017. Winning means they now cannot compete for the same title again until 2028.

Adrian Thompson, chairman of Filby in Bloom, said: "It's a marvellous result that takes dedication. We've got a team here that comes out every Saturday regardless of the weather doing something."

He added: "We started this off in 1995 and Filby's on the map now. Wherever you go, whoever you speak to, mention Filby and Filby in Bloom is known, so we've achieved our aim.

"But the rules of Britain in Bloom [mean] we have to now miss two years and 2028 is the earliest we can get back in Britain in Bloom, so although we've won it three times in less than 30 years there's been years we couldn't enter."

Award winners at Britain in Bloom including representatives of Filby in Bloom, which took the Best Village category

Joy Baldry, another volunteer, was tending row upon row of polyanthus in a greenhouse, which will be planted out in the village over the coming weeks.

"We're here every Saturday morning from 09:00 to 12:00 with our group of volunteers," she said.

"[The award] makes our work on a very cold January morning in the ice worthwhile because it can be quite cold and we have to work through all weathers."

Glen Unstead, one of the volunteers, said it was "absolutely marvellous" to scoop the national title, adding: "There was a particularly special award this year and that was for community champion.

"That was none less than Adrian Thompson."

Mr Thompson, who won that title in 2002, added: "It was unexpected, but it's a team effort; it's not my award.

"It's a team effort award and dedicated to the memory of Percy Hudson and Marjorie Ward who are two of our founder members who we lost this year."

Members of Filby in Bloom with judges next to a caravan filled with flowers

The group raises funds through a number of activities, including plant sales and a Christmas Fayre at Filby Village Hall on 29 November.

On the Britain in Bloom website, RHS Community Programme manager Pak Ling Wan said: "It's truly uplifting to see so many Bloom groups across the UK championing community gardening with such passion and purpose."