GREEN fingers are crossed in Studley as they put the finishing touches to their displays for the Britain in Bloom judges.

Studley in Bloom is aiming to take the bouquet for the small town category - hoping to beat off rivals from St Saviour in Jersey, Whitehead in Ulster, Corbridge in Northumbria and Freckleton in the north west of England.

Volunteers have been busy putting the final touches to their floral campaign to woo the judges from the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), who are due in Studley on Tuesday, August 2.

They are hoping they will be blown away by the riot of colour in the floral displays in the middle of Studley, the planting of reclaimed loo bowls outside the public toilets and the tidying up of Studley Common, where there is now even a "bug hotel" to attract wildlife.

Sian Smith, spokesman for Studley in Bloom, said: "Local schoolchildren have helped in the project at Studley Common and they used recycled materials, like wooden pallets, to develop a hotel to attract bugs.

"The village itself looks marvellous, with inviting and welcoming bright colours - but I think the judges will also be impressed by the community spirit, with many of our volunteers devoting 30 plus hours a week to picking litter, tidying areas and creating beautiful displays."

Last summer 72 locations, including Studley, were selected to represent their region in this year’s Britain in Bloom finals, each hoping to score top marks and be announced category winner at an awards ceremony to take place in Birmingham on October 14.

The judges will be looking at horticultural achievement, community participation and environmental aspects of each display.

Gill Liebthal, chairman of Studley in Bloom, said: "We are looking forward to welcoming the judges on August 2 and hope that they will be impressed with what they see on the judging route, which we have been planning for the last six months.”

UK-wide, Britain in Bloom groups transform an estimated 3,459 acre - equivalent to 9.9 Hyde Parks or 1,965 football pitches - into green havens.