THE judges swept into Quarry Bank this morning (Thursday July 13) to see how the town has blossomed since it's first-ever entry in the prestigious Heart of England in Bloom campaign.

Experienced judge Graham Redfern and newcomer Paul Ash from the Heart of England were given a whistle-stop tour - taking in Saltwells Nature Reserve, Stevens Park, Christ Church, Quarry Bank Primary School and Quarry Bank Community Centre - to see if volunteers from Quarry Bank in Bloom have improved on last year's effort.

The dedicated 15-strong team of Bloom volunteers have worked tirelessly to better this year's entry after scooping a silver award in 2016 with their very first entry in the prestigious horticultural competition.

Stourbridge News:

Quarry Bank councillor Bryan Cotterill said: “I had this vision two years ago about having Quarry Bank in Bloom. To see this come to fruition now is absolutely fantastic.

“I’m absolutely delighted with how it’s developing. We had a silver award last year and we’re hoping to build on our success this year.”

Although careful not to give anything away about how Quarry Bank may have fared - returning judge Graham Redfern said during the two-hour visit that he'd been impressed with the tour and he told the News: "It’s lovely to see all the recommendations we have made have been taken on board by the volunteers – it's all good so far and it certainly will have an effect on the marking at the end of the day."

Stourbridge News:

Volunteers will find out at an awards ceremony at Warwick Castle on September 14 how successful their entry has been this time round.