Dartmouth has blooming well done it!

Jubilant Dartmouth in Bloom organisers – and the green-fingered gardeners who keep the parks up to award winning scratch – have carried off gold.

The town won no less than five awards in this year's regional Bloom competition – and came within a hair's breadth of winning the top award in the group.

Dartmouth in Bloom secretary Jane Joy revealed that Dartmouth was up against six other towns in the regional competition for the coveted Ayre Cup.

Dartmouth, along with three of the other towns, took a gold certificate for their efforts and it all came down to points in a close-run race to see who took the top trophy prize.

In the end it went to the town of Radstock and Janed added: 'We were delighted to be back to winning gold.'

Dartmouth has won a prize in the bloom competition since the local bloom committee was formed and the town began entering the competition 33 years ago.

But it has been two years since the town last took a gold award.

This year its gold triumph amounted to one of five awards the town carried off along with a flag to fly over the town to reinforce its blooming success story.

The naval college, St John the Baptist School, the traders of Foss Street and the council garden team responsible for keeping the town's public areas – including the Royal Avenue Gardens - blooming all played their part in bringing the awards home to Dartmouth.

The town received two It's Your Neighbourhood awards for the children's garden at St John the Baptist School and for the Britannia Woods plantation at the Britannia Royal Naval College.

On top of that the town also came away with the Abbiss Cup, presented to the town gardening team for the best municipal horticultural display and the Amberol cup for the best business floral display which went to Foss Street.

Said Jane: 'This is an amazing result. Congratulations to all involved.'

The whole team along with town mayor and Dartmouth in Bloom chairman Paul Allen went to Newquay to hear the results and collect the trophies and certificates on behalf of the town.

Said Mr Allen: 'It is absolutely wonderful for Dartmouth. We swept the board.

'I wasn't totally surprised because I thought the standard was really, really good this year.

'Winning the best municipal award was absolutely wonderful and was probably down to the badge in the Royal Avenue Gardens.

'This lifts the town profile like Dartmouth PLC. It lifts the whole of the town and showcases Dartmouth.'

Dartmouth district and county councillor Jonathan Hawkins added: This is fantastic news for Dartmouth. It is really, really good.

'I am so glad for the bloom committee who have worked so hard to get gold back for Dartmouth. Now we have got to make certain we do not sit on our laurels.'

The town's own awards are being handed out at a special ceremony at Dartmouth Guildhall on October 28.

A total of 15 cups and shields will be presented to the local bloom winners.