CUMBRIA’S community gardeners took home a haul of awards at the Royal Horticultural Society’s (RHS) annual Britain in Bloom ceremony.

A total of five finalists were chosen to fly the flag for the region in Belfast at the weekend, following success in the Cumbria in Bloom competition.

Across the UK, 76 groups competed in 12 categories with each also vying for a gold, silver gilt, silver or bronze medal.

And there was success for Dalston, which scooped gold in the large village category, with market town Penrith, the village of Bothel, and Stanwix in Carlisle aall warded silver gilt. Ulverston earned a silver.

All areas battled what judges have declared the toughest year on record for the competition, with communities nationwide fighting to keep blooms alive.

The rural village of Dalston impressed the RHS judges with its floral arrangements, including its “fantastic begonias” at the the bowling club, and the “doorstep challenge”, which encourages residents to deck out the front of their homes with green foliage.

Ronnie Auld, from Dalston in Bloom, said: “[The judges] made special comment about how clean and litter-free the village was.

“They were very impressed by the community participation specifically mentioning the scarecrows, open gardens and doorstep challenge.”

Meanwhile, Penrith’s entry in the large town category was singled out for its community spirit, which sees an army of volunteers - including a plant-watering window cleaner - helping to maintain the town’s floral displays and fruit and vegetable plots.

Carlisle councillor Paul Nedved, who is a key figure in Stanwix in Bloom, said: “We are absolutely thrilled for the community of Stanwix to achieve such a great result.

“The judges commented that ‘the community was spotlessly clean with an absolute minimum of weeds and litter’.”

The finalists were judged on their horticultural achievement, community participation and environmental responsibility. The RHS judges visited communities from the end of July.

Darren Share, chair of the RHS Britain in Bloom judges, said: “This year’s finalists faced the most challenging conditions the competition has ever seen, with much of the country under snow and ice at the start of spring followed by the joint-hottest summer on record.

“That so many groups walked away with top medals is remarkable and a reflection of communities’ hard work, ingenuity and horticultural know-how.”

The Cumbrians collected their awards from Chris Bavin, presenter of BBC Two’s Britain in Bloom series.