NEXT week sees the moment of truth for Padiham, Hapton and Worsthorne - the local entries in the North West in Bloom competition.
Two judges from the Tidy Britain Group will be visiting the area on Friday afternoon to grade the efforts of local folk to make their environment more beautiful.
Padiham, Hapton and Worsthorne are up against stiff competition from towns and villages across Lancashire, Merseyside, Cheshire and Greater Manchester, including Chester, St Annes and Southport.
The competition has been running for 30 years and the number of entries increases every year. This time there are 93.
A spokesman for the Tidy Britain Group said: "The competition is not just about flowers, but participants are encouraged to improve their local environment by planting trees and shrubs and generally tidying up eyesores.
"Because the Tidy Britain Group is the co-ordinator for the competition, litter control is very important.
"Judges will be looking for involvement from all sections of the community, especially local authorities, commercial organisations, schools and voluntary groups."
Results will be announced at Southport Flower Show on August 23.
Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article