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'Hours picking soggy leaves' leads village to gold

Washington Village in Bloom Washington on a sunny day. The sky is blue and cloudy and there are people sitting on the grass and benches at the village green outside a pub and cafe. There is bunting hanging across the green. Washington Village in Bloom
The picturesque village of Washington beat competition from 80 others to bring home gold

A village has been named the best in the UK thanks to "friendship, laughs and hours picking up soggy leaves".

The Washington in Bloom group beat competition from 80 other communities to scoop the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Britain in Bloom best village gold award.

Joan Atkinson, a member of the 15-strong group, said friendship and long hours planting and weeding had propelled the village - which has a population of just 400 - to success.

A spokeswoman for the RHS said the community spirit of the village "shone through".

Washington in Bloom The Washington Bloom Group on the village green dressed in colourful 1960s costumes. There are trees and bunting in the background. They are smiling and many of them are doing a peace gesture. Washington in Bloom
Joan Atkinson (third from the right) said the "heart-wrenching love" of the bloom group got her through cancer treatment

Mrs Atkinson, 75, said the group met every Sunday to patrol the village and make sure it was looking its best.

She said on the run up to the competition the group, with an age range of between 13 and 80, met three evenings a week, often in the rai,n to pick up wet leaves.

"We have a laugh in the rain, then drink tea and often treat ourselves to a glass of wine," Mrs Atkinson said, adding: "There isn't really any rivalry between villages because we are far away from each other and based all over the UK.

"There's maybe the odd peak at each other's Facebook pages to see what we are doing, but that's about it."

Washington in Bloom The village green with purple, pink and red flowers. The lawn is freshly cut and there is colourful bunting hanging from a tree. Washington in Bloom
Rain or shine the bloom group meet every week to tend to village green flower beds

Mrs Atkinson was diagnosed with cancer earlier this year and said it was a "heart-wrenching" time.

"The group's love got me through 40 radiation treatments - it's very much based on friendship and pride in our village," she said.

The RHS spokeswoman said: "The judges commented on the very evident community spirit that shines throughout the village, with everyone pulling together to assure the longevity and sustainability of Washington in Bloom."

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