AFTER months of planning and hard work by villagers it was judgement day on Monday for the region's most successful in bloom community.Volunteers at Filby, near Yarmouth, undefeated in the best kept village category in Anglia in Bloom since 1999, greeted judges on the first day of their 10-day assessment tour of the region.

AFTER months of planning and hard work by villagers it was judgement day on Monday for the region's most successful in bloom community.

Volunteers at Filby, near Yarmouth, undefeated in the best kept village category in Anglia in Bloom since 1999, greeted judges on the first day of their 10-day assessment tour of the region.

Youngsters at the village school proudly showed off the vegetable patch in their conservation area before judges Paul Corfield and Hazel Law toured the rest of the village.

Filby in Bloom spokesman Derek Nicker said: “This year we have more than 200 hanging baskets and 13,500 plants in the displays.

“The colour theme we have chosen is raspberries and cream, reflecting the fact that Filby used to be one of the biggest raspberry producers in the country.”

He said Filby, which is also an entrant in Britain in Bloom which it won in 2002, has about 60 active In Bloom volunteers with nearly everyone helping to some degree.

Other Norfolk Anglia in Bloom entrants include Swainthorpe, in the small village category, Hethersett, small town, Downham Market and North Walsham, town, Norwich, small city, and Yarmouth, Cromer, Hunstanton, Old Hunstanton and Sheringham, coastal resort.

From north Suffolk, Bungay and Oulton Broad are in the small town category, and Lowestoft in coastal resorts.