Green-fingered skills and village pride combined to create a stunning entry for Bere Alston’s into this year’s Britain in Bloom competition which included scarecrows for the first time.

The Bere Alston team behind previous gold and platinum award-winning entries met the Britain in Bloom (BIB) judges team yesterday (Tuesday) as they toured the floral displays at the social club, the war memorial, school and other sites.

Adding humour to the entry were an army of scarecrows at various locations, including the bowls club, on park benches, on a wall and at the social club, which were created by many residents who were the first to admit they were not keen or skilled gardeners.

Special guest Devon County Councillor Debo Sellis also met the judges. She said: “I was delighted to be asked to lend my support as part of the welcoming party for the judges. The displays are a beautiful testament to the community spirit. They fully deserve to succeed.”

Dr Frances Howard, led on the biodiversity aspect of the BIB entry. She said: “Our entry is not just about pretty looking flowers. One third of the marks awarded are on how we have increased biodiversity through planting. We have conducted a surveys on how we have contributed to attracting more types of pollinator insects and it seems to be very productive.”

Jeanette Engelfield, Bere in Bloom chairman, said: “The judges certainly seemed impressed by our achievements, which include resuscitating the school pond, adopting the train station and helping contribute to a book on Moths of the Bere Peninsula - including the impact of our biodiversity improvements. The war memorial and gardens are also an impressive focal point. The judges also liked the humour of the scarecrows and how they had widened the types of people who took part.”

The results of BIB will be revealed on October 8.