More awards for wonderfui Wigan!

For it has now won a gold medal and scooped Best in Category for Large City in the North West in Bloom awards.

That makes it a local double celebration, the borough having already scooped gold in Britain in Bloom last month.

And 19 local in bloom groups also enjoyed their own successes in the Neighbourhood Awards.

Hindley Community Allotments were not only rated outstanding but also scooped Best Overall Winner and Best Small Neighbourhood. They were just one of the Wigan and Leigh Homes tenants’ groups that triumphed.

New entry The Bluebell, Atherton, was one of nine groups to be given the top rating of outstanding.

The wins have ended a great year for the wide range of local green-fingered volunteers, community groups and tenants across who make their communities colourful, attractive and clean.

Coun Kevin Anderson, Wigan Council’s executive member for Environment, said: “It has been a fantastic year for the borough’s In Bloom groups.

“We are extremely fortunate to have so many excellent volunteers throughout the borough who dedicate an enormous amount of time to make the borough bloom.

“These groups are crucial to having neighbourhoods of which we can be proud and help make our borough such an attractive place to live.

“The In Bloom success also sums up exactly what the aims of The Deal are – with residents taking pride and responsibility for their local area and volunteering to make their communities great places to live.”