Judges of the Britain in Bloom competition will be arriving in Nottingham in the next few weeks for a spot-check of the City’s green credentials.

Nottingham has been invited to compete this year in the highest level of the national competition – the Champion of Champions category. Judges will visit during August for a four-hour conducted tour of the city, but will form their first impressions during a secret visit sometime between Saturday April 12th and Sunday May 4th.

Councillor Malcolm Wood, Chair of the Nottingham in Bloom Working Group, says: "Unannounced judging is a big challenge for a city such as Nottingham. We are competing against four smaller communities with a limited number of places that the judges can visit. When they come to Nottingham they have endless options and it’s obviously difficult to ensure that everywhere is litter-free and looking its best for the whole three-week spell. But Nottingham is officially the cleanest core City in Britain, with an excellent record in the Bloom competitions, and we will do our best as ever to ensure that the standards are high.

"It would really help if every householder could make sure that their own patch is looking good. We receive marks for residential gardens as well as for public buildings, parks and other public spaces. The unannounced judging accounts for 10% of the total marks and it could make a real difference to whether or not the City wins the title."

For more information about Nottingham in Bloom, visit www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/bloom or call 0115 915 2745.