If the 1980s was the decade of big hair and big shoulder pads, it was also the decade of big summer blooms in Worcester.

The annual Worcester in Bloom competition was started in 1981 in an effort to spruce up the city for the Britain in Bloom Challenge.

An initiative that was not unrewarded, as Worcester won the regional Heart of England title in 1985 and 1986, was fourth in the national contest in 1987 and runner-up to Tamworth in 1988.

Sponsored for much of its run by Worcester Evening News and organised by Worcester City Council, Worcester in Bloom encouraged local green fingers to come up roses and make their gardens, hanging baskets, window boxes, plots and pots look as colourful as possible.

There were numerous categories, including house and garden, flats, shops, pubs, schools, hotels/guest houses and churches.

The high spot of the competition was probably in 1990 when there were a record 150 entries and the panel of judges, comprising a dozen gardening enthusiasts from various local organisations, had to take two rounds of the city before making up their minds.

One of the most successful entrants over the years was Bennett Martin of Whinfield Road, Claines, who didn’t even know his name had been put forward until the judges turned up the first time in 1986.

“We don’t know who entered us, but we suspect it was our daughter Pasty,” he said.

That year Mr Bennett was overall winner with the highest number of points and he went on to several more successes.

His immaculate garden contained aviaries full of canaries and a fish pool which could be illuminated at night.

All this was in complete contrast to his day job, because for many years Mr Bennett ran Worcester’s well known motor cycle sales and repair business Bladders in Sidbury, which is now Skellerns.

The In Bloom competition played a vital part in helping Worcester put on its best possible face and as an incentive for firms to take part in 1985, the City Council offered to supply and fit on a rental basis hanging baskets for shops, offices, garages and even industrial premises to help brighten up their image.

However, not everything in the garden was always lovely, for in 1987 there was a civic spat between the City Council and the County Council, which was responsible for roundabouts on the city approaches. City councillors wanted them planted with flowers and shrubs to help their flower power campaign. But county highways chairman Ron Carrington dead headed the idea, saying with limited finances pot holes were a bigger priority than flower pots.

Worcester in Bloom faded away in the early 2000s and was consigned to the compost heap by council budget cuts, but here are some memories of the days of hanging baskets in High Street.