The Volunteers who maintain the Thomas Blake Garden in Ross-on-Wye were delighted when their hard work was awarded as ‘Outstanding’ by Heart of England in Bloom this year. The group was also pleased to receive a further award for Gardening Excellence.

There was more good news for the volunteers; they recently received a donation from the Ross-on-Wye Rotary Club of £100.

They were visited by retiring President Stewart Ross, who presented the cheque to the volunteers during a Sunday gardening session.

The money will be very useful, helping to buy new shrubs to replace some of the older, less attractive ones that have literally outgrown their welcome. The plan is to add more colour, scent and interest to the garden at the same time as reducing the amount of maintenance work required.

The garden was visited by a Heart of England in Bloom judge at the end of June and volunteers found out the result when Jenny travelled up to Ludlow recently for the presentation of the awards. For the last four years the Blake Garden has received the top gold award.

The volunteers meet regularly on Sunday mornings but also work in the garden when they are able to during the week. It’s a real team effort and new volunteers are always made welcome.

“People who walk through the garden are always very complimentary and thank us for the work we put in,” commented volunteer Caroline Utting,” it now has several lovely reviews on TripAdvisor.”

If you would like to get involved in maintaining this attractive corner of Ross please call 01989 565685.