Residents living in one Writhlington street are making final preparations as they get ready to be judged in this year's South West in Bloom competition.

The quest to give the road an aesthetic boost and a great way to bring everyone together as a community led people living on Queen's Gate to work as one to create their spectacular In Bloom entry.

Every one of the 15 houses on the road is taking part in the competition with the hope of continuing their green-fingered fun in the future.

Sticking to this year's colour scheme of red, white and blue, all the homes have been festooned with hanging baskets and flower-filled wheel- barrows in preparation for the In Bloom judges' visit in July.

One of the organisers, Michelle Reece, said: "A lot of people living on the road are single parents and we found out a lot about the In Bloom competition because of what the children were doing at school. They were so enthusiastic about it so as parents we decided it was a good idea to get all the children involved in creating our own entry for the competition. It is a great way to keep the street tidy and gives us all a sense of pride about where we live. The children have really enjoyed what we have done and can't wait to keep on with the gardening."

South West in Bloom is part of the Britain in Bloom competition. The competition encourages the community to take a pride in their local area, making it attractive with flowers, landscaping or an environmental project.

Nicola Ware, chairwoman of the Midsomer Norton and Radstock in Bloom committee, said: "This is a really good initiative by the people living on Queen's Gate. One of the main aims of the In Bloom competition is to create community pride through community involvement in the competition.

"The group has done so well working together to support the entry."

As well as supporting Radstock's South West in Bloom entry, several of the residents are also placing individual entries in this year's Bath in Bloom competition.

Judges wielding clipboards will descend upon Midsomer Norton on Monday, July 13 and Radstock on Wednesday, July 15. Organisers hope for a repeat of last year's success when both towns achieved a Silver Gilt Award.