EVERYTHING came up roses for the borough on Tuesday as the results of this year’s Anglia in Bloom competition were announced.

There were a number of notable inclusions among the list of winners, none more so than Filby, who again won a gold award - victorious in the small villages category - and pupils from Acle High School, who won the best young persons project category (12 to 18 years of age).

Among the other significant awards for the borough was a silver gilt award for Yarmouth in the coastal category and a nomination for the Roy Lacey award - for people who have given a great deal of time and energy to promoting the aims and ambitions of Anglia In Bloom - for Margaret Farrow, who has been involved with the Great Yarmouth and Gorleston in Bloom committee for 28 years.

Margaret was at St Ives, Cambridgeshire for the awards ceremony with Yarmouth Borough Councillor Sue Hacon, the treasurer and secretary of Anglia in Bloom and coordinator of the Yarmouth and Gorleston efforts, and will be travelling to the Britain in Bloom awards ceremony in Guernsey in October as Yarmouth and Filby are among the six chosen to represent East Anglia at the prestigious national Royal Horticultural Society’s competition.

Cllr Hacon said: “I nominated Margaret as she has given such dedicated service, she brings a lot to the committee; fresh ideas and enormous hard work.”

Cllr Hacon added: “We have just got to keep climbing the ladder, we are just gradually working our way up. Eventually we will obtain gold, that is the ultimate.

“We think Yarmouth looked as good it could have done and has done for many years.”

Also included in the Anglia in Bloom winners list is Acle, who won a silver award in the large village category, and Sea Palling and Waxham, who won a silver award in the small village category.

In the special awards, a nomination for a biodiversity award went to the new viewing platform and boardwalk at Filby Broad, a nomination for the best drought/sustainable garden went to carlton gardens and Jetty Timbers in Yarmouth and nominations for the grow your own awards went to Acle allotments and The Allotments, Filby.

Chairman of Filby in Bloom Adrian Thompson said: “This is just the beginning, it is nice to do well locally but we have Britain in Bloom just round the corner so hopefully this will be a springboard for success nationally.

“We had the Tour of Britain, the Jubilee and constant fund raising for the village hall fund, I think the judges can see that it is a very active village, and that contributes; it is not just the flowers.”

The green-fingered year 10 and 11 pupils from Acle High school on South Walsham Road created two exciting and creative horticultural features to help the village celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.

The first was a flowerbed designed to look like the Queen’s crown, which took pride of place on the village green, and the second was a flower display which replicated the commemorative Jubilee stamp.

Jeremy Bryant, the tutor who led the pupils through the project said: “The parish council must have nominated us, we had no idea. We did it for the Jubilee, but it is a nice bonus to be recognised and for the kids to be recognised by the people for what they do.

“I am sure they will be tickled pink to be in the paper for their work.”