RESIDENTS of the tiny village of Hawksworth near Guiseley have this week been celebrating their third successive win in the Yorkshire in Bloom Competition.

Hawksworth were placed joint first with two villages from the Rotherham area with 94 points in the section for small villages.

They previously won their section in 1998 and 1997.

The organising committee is to receive a silver salver which they keep for a year and a certificate.

During the past six years 5,000 daffodil bulbs and many wildlife flowers and shrubs have been planted in the village

This year children attending the village school have been involved with extra planting near to the school and on the verge near the bottom of Odda Lane.

Milton Booth, chairman of the Hawksworth Residents Association, said he was 'absolutely delighted' with the result.

"We have been judged joint winners with two villages in Rotherham which I think is excellent," he said.

"We started six years ago and we have gradually built up our plant and bulb stock by doing something different each year. We are quite happy with our third successive success," he added.

Keeping the village neat, tidy and colourful involves a considerable amount of hard work for the villagers.

"We carry out the work throughout the year. The work load, is of course, much less in winter than it is now.

"We had a major effort to prepare for the judging in April and we are now preparing for the summer judging in July," he said.

Mr Booth said each of the seven committee members of the Hawksworth Residents Association, would keep the salver for a few weeks.

"We are all happy and I can say the sun has certainly shone on us again," he added.

Frank Robinson, chairman of Yorkshire in Bloom, commented: "The reorganised Hawksworth in Bloom group has certainly taken up the challenge to maintain the high standards expected of this entry.

"As the school was on holiday two pupils were deported to show us their National Greenfinger Trophy. The ongoing development of the woodland with the wildflower planting is to be commended and perhaps requires some understorey planting of native shrubs.

"Posters adorned many properties, some with humorous annotations. Everybody seemed to enjoy the bloom challenge and it showed".

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