THEY made their village glow with beauty.

Now the team behind Rainford in Bloom has landed the highest individual honour available at the regional awards.

The group of community volunteers earned the gold rating in the Large Village Category at the North West in Bloom awards after creating beautiful floral displays.

Their latest accolade will proudly rest alongside their previous silver and silver gilt awards.

St Helens Star:

Rainford in Bloom is a voluntary group, now a registered charity, and is funded by donations from the community and grants. In a statement, they said: “The gold and outstanding accolades are wonderful achievements for everyone involved and the culmination of all the work done by the volunteers with the support of the community.

“We must give a special thank you to everyone who supported and encouraged us in our efforts. One of the delights when working in the village is being able to talk to people about the work we do and answer all their questions.

St Helens Star:

“Our team is extremely diverse and includes many different skill sets. One of our number has shared his knowledge gained from a lifetime’s work in horticulture. Rainford is very privileged to have so many people offering their help.

“This year has been spectacular with magnificent floral displays in the village, a delightful new border at the Spinney and the ever changing, beautiful ‘Mossborough’ bed.

"The aim from the beginning was to achieve gold by 2020. We had ‘20-20 vision’ and we have, achieved our goal a year early. However, we are not going to rest on our laurels.”

Other worthy winners are the Crank Bloomers who won an Outstanding Award in the Neighbourhood Category, the highest award available and equivalent to a Gold Award.