Flood-damaged town shows garden and greenhouse skills

A town badly damaged by the 2008 floods has shown its garden and greenhouse skills take more than a bit of water to extinguish.

Morpeth was recently awarded the Best Town title in the Northumbria in Bloom Awards 2009, just a year after floodwater covered much of the area.

The prize was given for residents efforts to brighten up the town using horticulture.

Aside from local garden and greenhouse enthusiasts, businesses got in on the act too – sponsoring hundreds of flower baskets and tubs, making a bright commercial district for consumers.

The traders won the Best Shopping Centre trophy as a result at a ceremony in the Freemans Quay Leisure Centre in Durham yesterday (September 14th).

Newcastle also received a gold award for its floral displays around the train station and two cathedrals, while Sunderland took the Best Large City gong.

The Northumbria in Bloom awards are part of the wider Britain in Bloom competition and are supported by the National Lottery.