Fingers are crossed in Addingham this weekend as villagers wait to learn if their Britain in Bloom efforts have won them a national title.

Six members of Addingham Garden Friends will head to Guernsey tomorrow ready for the official announcement on Saturday.

While neighbouring Ilkley is an old hand when it comes to competing in the national contest, this is Addingham’s first attempt.

The village was selected after winning a regional Yorkshire in Bloom title last year, and official Royal Horticultural Society judges were taken on a tour of Addingham’s floral highlights in August.

Addingham is in the Small Town section of the competition, alongside Sedgefield, County Durham, Wood-stock in Oxfordshire, Wimbourne in Dorset and Ahoghill in County Antrim.

Garden Friends chairman, Carol Miles, says the group is excited about the results. She added: “We’re excited but apprehensive. We had a good day on judging day, and the judges were extremely helpful and easy to talk to. We shall look forward to meeting them again. We’re not expecting to win, but we are hoping we will have a respectable result.”

Carol also praised the village community for rallying round in the summer to get Addingham looking at its very best for the judges. She said: “Everybody in the village, and from Addingham Parish Council and Bradford Council, really put their backs into it.”

As well as clean-ups and work by the Garden Friends on various floral areas around the village, residents were encouraged to keep their own front gardens looking blooming lovely.

The judges also visited the grounds of Addingham Primary School, where children have their own garden. A special effort was made this summer to decorate the boarded-up Village Store in Main Street, dressing it up as a florist’s shop.

Miss Miles says the Garden Friends have already come up with ideas for the future following the judges’ visit.