COMMUNITY spirit is pulling out all the stops, in advance of the Ledbury in Bloom judging day, and to limit the effect of council cuts on the town's appearance.

To help out the Ledbury in Bloom campaign, volunteers from Ledbury and District U3A have been hard at work in the the Walled Garden, to make the flower beds look their very best.

Ledbury has an enviable record in the competition, having won eight Royal Horticultural Society gold medals in a row, for Heart of England in Bloom, from 2006 to 2014.

Ledbury U3A spokesperson, Sally Holliday said: "Volunteers from Ledbury & District U3A garden group have been working hard this year on some of the flower beds there.

"Last year they cleared and planted up four small beds near the top gate into Church Street as mixed borders with shrubs, perennial plants, bulbs and annuals. Plants were sourced from money raised from a charity tea party, plants from volunteers' own gardens and generous donations from U3A members and others."

She added: "It was not unusual to come home to find bags of plants on the doorstep."

But community support is even more essential this year.

Mrs Holliday said: "Last summer Herefordshire Council planted up the beds at the bottom gate with perennial plants but they have withdrawn from their maintenance this year. The volunteers with the support of Ledbury Town Council have been working on these beds this year, again with the aim of planting mixed borders.

"The Town Council generously provided funding to enable the purchase of shrubs for the two beds. Gardening this summer has been a bit of a challenge with the lack of rain, but we will be working hard to ensure that the gardens look their best when the Britain in Bloom judges visit Ledbury on July 23."