Rustington’s Britain in Bloom bid

The community, which is one of only 76 finalists nationwide to be judged, after being hand-picked from more than 1,000 other applicants, came out in force to help support the village’s in bloom bid.

The two judges from the Royal Horticultural Society, the group responsible for the competition, Nigel Bishop and Roger Burnett, arrived at the village at approximately 4pm and spent more than two hours walking around the village, seeing all the brightly decorated gardens and displays that were on offer.

Rustington Parish Council chairman, Andy Cooper, who greeted the two Britain In Bloom judges said: “The judging went superbly.

“The judges were very relaxed on the day which put us at ease which is obviously a good thing at such an important event.

“At the end of the day I went over to them and they said a few words which were really encouraging.”

He added: “I just wanted to thank Ferring Nurseries for all their help, they always come through each year, as well as everyone else who helped us.”

Rustington is being judged in the “town” category of the competition, alongside eight other communities.

Apart from the colourful floral displays, judges reviewed Rustington’s community participation by measuring how much local people were aware of, and actively involved in, the campaign.

They also looked at the environmental responsibility of the village as a whole, with sustainable planting, efforts to encourage wildlife and good use of resources being among the criteria.

Rustington will be hoping to come out smelling of roses from the judges’ post-tour deliberation.

An award ceremony for this year’s in bloom will be held in St Andrews, Scotland, on Sunday, September 25.

Each finalist will be awarded an RHS gold, silver-gilt, silver or bronze medal and there is also an award for best in category, as well as special discretionary awards given for achieving excellence in particular fields.