St Helier has won the coveted gold medal in the Champions of Champions category at the ‘Britain in Bloom’ awards.

Judges praised the exotic-style planting in Parade Gardens, moveable pop-up allotments and upcycled ‘Bee Fantastic with Plastic’ displays made by local school children.

St Helier Community in Bloom group with upcycled planters (credit: RHS / David Ferguson)

68 groups competed in the 12 categories, with St Helier just missing out on the top title which was won by Scottish city Perth.

Two other parishes were also given medals in the competition.

St Aubin won a Silver Gilt in the Villages category for its floral displays, while St Clement achieved the same prize in the Coastal category for its churchyard wildflower meadow, planting around the Parish Hall and roses at Samares Manor.

"Congratulations to all of this year’s UK finalists. It’s incredibly humbling to hear about the huge efforts they’ve invested in making our villages, towns and cities greener places to live, work and visit.

"This makes a tremendous difference locally but has a wider impact too. Gardeners are increasingly having to respond to the changing climate, declining pollinator numbers and plastic waste and more communities are galvanizing people around these issues to bring about positive change." - Darren Share, Chair of the RHS Britain in Bloom judges.

The Jersey finalists collected their awards from Baroness Floella Benjamin, RHS Vice President, at the ceremony held in the London RHS Lindley Hall.