Coleraine Britain in Bloom finalist

One of just 73 finalists, Coleraine has been placed into the Large Town category, alongside Rhyl, Huntingdon, Knaresborough, Belper, Stone, St Helier, Dumfries, Chichester and Truro.

Ranging from small rural villages to major industrial cities, each finalist is aiming for a gold medal, and the coveted title of category winner.

Sue Biggs, RHS Director General, said: ‘RHS Britain in Bloom would be nothing without the enormous number of volunteers who are committed to greening up their corner of the nation – dynamic people, all wanting to make the UK a better place to live.

“Together they plant more than 115,000 trees, 352,000 shrubs and 21.6 million plants and bulbs annually. The positive impact this has on the environment is enormous. It is an absolute honour for the RHS to be associated with these groups and individuals and I wish Coleraine the very best of luck.’

The 2012 RHS Britain in Bloom results will be announced in October at a special Awards Ceremony in St Peter Port, Guernsey.