SOUTH West in Bloom It’s Your Neighbourhood certificates were presented by the mayor and mayoress of Dartmouth this week.

Cllr Rob Lyon and his wife Di presented the certificates at Dartmouth Academy to representatives of the community, businesses, shops and residential groups, who played their part in winning Dartmouth the gold award for the South West in Bloom.

Dartmouth Green Partner­ships put 11 entrants in for the awards, out of which seven were judged to be ‘outstanding’ and four ‘thriving’.

The awards are a particularly strong feature of South West in Bloom, which had a total of 600 entries this year. They are an indicator of the strength of community spirit, where people come together to improve their own small areas.

‘This is an excellent result for the town,’ said DGP chairman Stevie Rogers. ‘Two of the four “thriving” awards were first-time entrants, Dartmouth Academy and the Community Orchard.

‘To achieve this level is exceptional for a first time entry and is only a few marks away from the prestigious “outstanding” award given to many long-standing entries.

‘The BRNC achieved the same level for its grounds, and St John’s School, has made good progress in involving children in plant related activities so this was a wonderful effort.

‘Outstanding award winner Coombe Terrace was described by SWIB as one of the best in the country. Higher Street and Smith Street is a recent entrant and improved its level to outstanding this year, as did the Old Market.

‘Long-term entrant Foss Street maintained the high quality of its displays, as did Milton Lane Allotments and the DGP Greenhouse, Potager and Royal Avenue Gardens.’

More than 40 children at the academy entered the DGP painting competition, the theme of which was ‘A day in the park’. The winners were presented with certificates by the mayor.

Stevie said: ‘All the paintings this year, were of a really high standard and it was very difficult to choose the winners.’

Dartmouth Green Partner­ships would be delighted to hear from any group of residents, businesses or locations in Dartmouth, who would like to be entered into next year’s It’s Your Neighbourhood awards.

Contact Stevie Rogers 01803 712437 for more details.