FOLLOWING Royal Horticultural Society successes this year, ten Buckfast and Buckfastleigh groups are planning to enter the national competition in 2016.

In September, South Devon Railway and Buckfast Abbey picked up ‘outstanding’ awards at the RHS Britain in Bloom South West ceremony at the Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth.

These awards, the highest possible, were presented in recognition of their achievements in the It’s Your Neighbourhood campaign.

Following this success another eight groups recently met representatives, to hear of the campaign, and all decided to enter next year.

The groups provisionally entering are Fore Street; Hamlyn’s Way; Barn Park; Food Forever; Guides Garden; South Devon Railway; Buckfast Abbey; Millennium Green; The Wild Garden; and St Luke’s Food Bank Garden.

The RHS campaign judges entries on three core aspects – gardening, environment and community involvement.

Entries are assessed in July and there are five levels ranging from ‘establishing’, through ‘improving’ and ‘developing’, ‘thriving’ and finally ‘outstanding’.

Each entry receives a certificate from the RHS presented at the annual award ceremony to which all entrants are invited.

The groups have been offered a mentor from RHS Britain in Bloom South West who will work with them, if invited, to advise on the best way to present their entry on the assessment day.

Last year more than 550 entries were assessed in the south west.