Ledbury in Bloom's campaign for the national and regional titles will be launched at the town's English Festival next month.

An evening of entertainment, music and dance, organised at St Michael and All Angels Church for the festival, will be be the occasion for the launch, at 8pm on April 23.

This year, Ledbury will be contesting both the Heart of England regional competition, of which it is the defending champion, and the National In Bloom Competi-tion, which it will enter as the Heart of England region's overall winner for 2002.

The regional competition will be judged around mid-July, with the results announced at a ceremony in Coventry Cathedral on July 29. The results of the national competition will be made known at a presentation in London's Guildhall on Tuesday, September 30.

The chairman of the campaign, Tom Deane said: "The Ledbury in Bloom season has started. The spring beds in the town look superb. We will be looking for support from the whole town, so that we can do our best and be a credit to Ledbury.

"The year 2003 is a challenging one. We shall strive to become the best small town in Britain. We are determined not to let this opportunity pass by."

The mayor of Ledbury, coun Noel Roberts said: "For Ledbury to be nominated as a finalist in the national competition makes me even more proud of our lovely town. To win it, and I feel certain that we will, would really be the icing on the cake."

Other contestants include Brightlingsea in Essex, St Martins in Guernsey, Alnwick in Northumbria, Kirkham in Lancashire and Forres in Northern Scotland. Judging will take place in early August.