A LEADING nursery in the Ribble Valley has won gold at this year’s Southport Flower Show taking its total to four wins.

John Foley and Kate Lawson, owners of Holden Clough Nursery, in Bolton-By-Bowland, were awarded a Large Gold Medal and the Sefton Large trophy for the best display of hardy plants at the show.

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The couple brought many varieties of perennials to Southport and had around 1,000 plants on display.

Mr Foley said he was amazed with the reaction the nursery had at the show.

He said: “We had a great reception at the show.

“We saw new and old faces, lots of new customers came to take a look at what we had to offer.

“The weather had its moments but it was fine most of the time, which brought in lots of people.”

The display was judged on its complexity, the quality of plants, the colour and its overall composition.

This year marked the fourth visit to Southport and has won a medal on each occasion.

After winning gold at the Tatton Park Flower Show in July, the couple have now won 18 medals since taking over seven years ago.

Mr Foley said: “It was great to win.

“We’ve put a lot of hard work into the display and the nursery since we took it over.

“It was great to see all of our hard work pay off – a wonderful feeling.”

The couple were presented with the awards by BBC Gardeners’ World presenter Joe Swift.

Mr Foley said: “The judges and Joe were very pleased to see a young couple such as ourselves, as there aren’t many young people taking part.”

Featuring flower, vegetable and specialist food displays, it attracts 70,000 visitors each year making it the UKs largest independent flower show.

Mr Foley said: “We’ve got Harrogate Flower Show coming up in September and we are confident going in to that we will do well.

“I would like to thank Jan Mattison and the team at the nursery for all their help with the shows and the nursery.”