A bid by Wisbech to secure its seventh straight Anglia in Bloom Gold award officially kicked off today.

To mark the launch, The Wisbech in Bloom team gathered at Delamore Young Plants at Wisbech St Mary to collect thousands of plug plants for the hanging baskets which will brighten up the town centre this summer.

Over the coming weeks, volunteers will pot the plants and make up baskets and containers.

Wisbech in Bloom volunteers have been working behind the scenes throughout the winter months planning the bid.

Brian Massingham, chairman of Wisbech in Bloom, said: “Anyone who saw the baskets and containers around Wisbech last summer will know what top quality plants Delamore supply.

“We would like to thank Wayne Eady, managing director of Delamore, for supporting Wisbech in Bloom once again.”

In January, Wisbech saw off competition from more than 1,000 entrants to be chosen to represent the Anglia region in the Large Town category of the Britain in Bloom competition, with the winner announced in October.

As part of their efforts to secure the prestigious title, the Wisbech In Bloom team has teamed up with Cambridgeshire County Council on a Nene Quay landscaping scheme and is planning commemorative planting to mark the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War.

Anglia in Bloom is a floral and environmental competition which covers Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Norfolk and Suffolk.

Anyone who would like to sponsor Wisbech in Bloom or become a volunteer can contact Brian Massingham on 01945 461618 or Penny Stocks on 01945 561208.