‘Phenomenal’ work by Sidmouth’s green-fingered volunteers has brought home a number of awards from this year’s South West in Bloom competition.

Sidmouth, once again claimed gold in the champions of champion category at a ceremony in Yeovil last week.

Lynette Talbot, chairman of the Sidmouth group, was recognised for efforts and received the Alf Crouch Memorial Award, which is awarded to the individual who makes the largest contribution to the South West.

Lynette said: “I was really quite surprised. I was delighted but it was a surprise. We found it quite a challenging year and we wanted to get it right as it’s a very important competition and we have to keep on trying to keep the standards up.

“With the weather, Peter was up watering at 6am in the morning just to keep the plants alive.”

Sidmouth in Bloom were also awarded the Barry Cruse MBE Trophy for the best website and returned with a number of top awards in the Royal Horticultural Society It’s Your Neighbourhood scheme.

Sidmouth Arboretum, sensory garden, and Sidmouth Queen’s Jubilee Copse and Livonia Road Shrubbery were rated ‘thriving’.

The chairman’s garden, the Friends of the Byes, Sidbashers, Sidcomber and Witherby Entrance Garden all received the top award of ‘outstanding’ after the judges’ visited.

Sidmouth in Bloom also thanked the work of the district council’s StreetScene team for their continuous support.

Jon Wheatley, South West in Bloom chairman, said: “Lynette should be really proud of that. But what is amazing is the way they [Sidmouth in Bloom] grow and install so many fabulous features. We strive in the South West to get national standard, it’s much harder at a national level. It’s been one of the best ever years considering the dreaded beast from the east which hit the South West hardest.

“There were a phenomenal amount of It’s Your Neighbourhood, we had 20 communities in Devon take part in one way or another.”

He said he would be waiting with baited breath to see how Sidmouth and Truro fared in the champion of champions category at Britain in Bloom.

Sidmouth will find out the result of the national competition at a ceremony in Belfast on October 19.