VILLAGERS in East Hagbourne are carrying Oxfordshire’s hopes as they gear up for a colourful competition which could put them on the map.

For the first time in its history, the village is a finalist in the Royal Horticultural Society’s Britain in Bloom competition.

The competition is one of the largest horticultural campaigns in Europe, with more than 1,000 communities taking part throughout the UK.

Judges will tour paths and pavements on August 6 before picking a winner from the eight other ‘Large Village’ entries across the country — including Barwick in Yorkshire and St Andrew’s in Guernsey.

Nicola Ainger, a member of the village’s In Bloom committee, said judges were not just looking for colourful flowers, but community involvement and sustainable planting.

The 41-year-old said: “It’s not just about flowers and planting, it’s about a lot more than that.

“A lot of things we’ve done have been related to Hagbourne School, who has played a big part. We’ve recently replanted their sensory garden with the children, which is full of plants which affect our senses.

“The RHS are actually discouraging us from spending a fortune on things like bedding plants. They want the planting to last beyond the competition and be sustainable.

“We’ve tried to avoid hanging baskets. There’s a lot of health and safety issues surrounding them and they can look a little bit twee. This village has a lot of natural features which we want to enhance.

“The judges want to see indigenous natural English plants and weed-free, tidy gardens, but they also want to see the character of the area and of the community.”

So far, volunteers have spent weeks sprucing up the village’s allotments, Hagbourne School’s sensory garden, St Andrew’s Church and Butt’s Piece, as well as the three entrances to the village.

Householders are being encouraged to fill windowboxes and flowerbeds with red, orange and yellow blooms in keeping with the village’s ‘Some Like it Hot’ theme. Local businesses and professional gardeners have donated plants and time to the preparations. East Hagbourne Parish Council has also pledged money to the campaign.

Caroline Hunt, chairman of the In Bloom committee, said winning would be a tribute to Monica Lawson, chairman of the parish council, who died on Boxing Day.

Mother-of-two Mrs Hunt said: “It’s very important for the village, especially with the loss of Monica.

“It’s an important way to pull the village together.

“It was a cause very close to her heart and it would be a fitting tribute to her.”

Mrs Ainger added: “We are hoping more general community-based activities will position us quite well.”