GREEN fingered Barnoldswick volunteers are celebrating after taking home an award in the Royal Horticultural Society’s (RHS) Britain in Bloom awards.

Barnoldswick won the silver gilt in the town category during the awards evening held at Llandudno in North Wales.

RHS judges visited the 78 finalists over the summer to assess each group.

The groups were judged against three key criteria, community participation, environmental responsibility and horticultural achievement.

Councillor David Whipp, one of the volunteers who took part in the Barnoldswick in Bloom preparations, said: “We had more than 100 volunteers throughout the year who did their part to make Barnoldswick look wonderful.

“We took the silver guilt which is a great achievement and after talking with the judges we were a smidgen away from getting the gold one.

“I’m so proud of everyone as they deserve this award and more.

“Taking pride in where you live is something everyone should do and the people of Barnoldswick adhere to this."

Together the national finalists planted over a million trees, bulbs and other plants, transforming villages, towns and cities into green havens.

Roger Burnett, chairman of the RHS Britain in Bloom judges, said it was a ‘huge honour’ to witness how Britain in Bloom brings people together and the lengths that groups go to to make their communities clean, green and beautiful.