A SILVER Gilt prize has been awarded to Mathern, Mounton and Pwllmeyric Villages in Bloom.

Just nine points separated the team’s efforts in the village category from a gold award, after residents came together to ensure the area looked its best.

The committee, made up of more than 60 residents between the ages of 20 and 96, has been helped by Philip and Helen Carter, of Mathern Palace, who have donated the house’s kitchen gardens for residents to grow display flowers.

Also winning an award was the Miller’s Arms pub in Mathern, which came third in the best hotels frontage competition, and Mathern war memorial also won a prize for being well kept.

Mrs Carter said: “The in bloom competition has really developed here over the last couple of years.

“It really is a village effort. The committee is hardworking and meets every six to eight weeks.

“We have people tending the planters on the road outside their homes, and the planters themselves are made locally. The project encourages the elderly in the community to interact and we also get a lots of support from local businesses, especially this year from Chepstow Garden Centre, the New Inn and the Miller’s Arms.

“This year we concentrated on wild flower and wildlife planting, especially thinking of bee-friendly varieties.”

There’s no rest for the team now, as they have already begun to alter village displays for autumn and winter plants.