A COMMUNITY group in Leominster which won the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service is again looking forward to the spring blooming.

Leominster in Bloom has committed to hundreds of projects since its inception and continues to strive to help increase the town's appeal to locals and visitors alike.

Its tireless volunteers work alongside the community to help tidy up the streets, paint benches, and plant flowers and shrubs, to continue to bring pride to the town despite cuts to council funding from central government.

Romey Worthington, of Leominster in Bloom, said: "There has been a noticeable decrease in the amount of vandalism and littering over the years that we have been undertaking our projects with the community.

"We feel that the better a town looks, the more pride the local community will take in trying to keep it looking that way."

There are a regular group of about 15 volunteers to help with projects, but the group is indebted to the help of locals to help them keep the town looking its best.

Ms Worthington said: "When people think of Leominster in Bloom they automatically think of flowers for obvious reasons. However, its so much more than that."

"We are a community hub and involve all areas of the town in our projects. We always encourage local groups, societies, schools and businesses to join us and help with the more manual side of our work."

The group particularly works with young people in the town and have recently embarked on various projects with primary schools, and scout groups around the town.

It hopes that involving youngsters in projects will help instil a pride in the town that will hopefully last a lifetime.

Recent projects include the Leominster Cubs helping with some so-called "guerilla gardening", helping to replant daffodils after dark.

Ms Worthington said: "It's fantastic to get young people involved. They are the future of the town and will hopefully carry on the work to keep Leominster looking great."