A MONMOUTHSHIRE village enjoyed double success last week after scooping several awards at two horticultural competitions.

Mathern with Pellmeyric and Mounton, under the banner of 'Villages in Bloom', were awarded a Silver Gilt award at the prestigious Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Britain in Bloom UK Finals Awards Ceremony in Birmingham.

Judges travelled the length and breadth of the country to see the 72 finalists Bloom campaigns to determine who would lift the top prizes.

Each finalist was assessed against three key criteria: community participation, environmental responsibility and, of course, horticultural achievement.

Villages in Bloom, which represented the Wales in Bloom region, was one of only five areas from across the UK chosen to compete in the village category of the awards.

The group were commended for the 'colourful planting complimenting the heritage of the area' and the community spirit with which the work was conducted in.

Greg Howell, chairman of Villages in Bloom, said: "For our entirely voluntary group, to be put forward to be finalists in Britain in Bloom, the largest horticultural campaign in the United Kingdom, was in itself a great honour for our small community of villages. But, what the entry did was to add real adrenaline, verve and determination to the enthusiasm of everyone involved."

The group also enjoyed success earlier this year when they won a Gold Award in the Wales in Bloom competition after only being in the competition for four years.

Recently the community were also rewarded for their efforts at the annual Gwent's Best Kept Village competition where they won best village, best war memorial and the Millers Arms for best public house.

Carolyn Ovenden, chairman of Mathern Community Council, said. "We are delighted with the awards from GAVO. The high standards achieved throughout the village has involved many people in the community giving freely of their time and working successfully together."