KINGSBRIDGE has been selected from more than 1,000 entrants to take part in the Royal Horticultural Society Britain in Bloom UK Finals 2015.

Seen by many as the pinnacle of the community gardening world, Kings-bridge will be representing the whole of the South West region.

Nationally, only 70 communities, including towns, villages, cities, urban communities and new in 2015 business improvement districts, have been selected for the honour.

South West in Bloom nominated Kingsbridge for the national finals of the competition following the regional stage of judging in 2014. Kingsbridge In Bloom was selected for 'engaging every element of the community', for 'demonstrating an exceptional commitment to helping the environment' and for 'top horticultural achievement'.

In the Small Town category, Kingsbridge will be joining Whalley in the North West, Uppingham in the East Midlands, Corbridge in Northumbria, Cranbrook in the South East, Wimbourne in the South and Ahoghill in Ulster.

Although the campaign runs all year, the run-up to the judges' August tour is a time when communities throughout the UK unite and redouble their efforts. Two RHS judges will meet community representatives and go on a tour of local projects in Kingsbridge. They will assess everything from local recycling initiatives to areas of natural habitat and conservation. They will also be looking at the management of street furniture and public parks and will assess how well the group is responding to climate change and how it is engaging the community in its activities.

The results will be announced at an awards ceremony in October, which will be attended by representatives for all 70 finalists.

Kingsbridge In Bloom chairman Graham Price said: 'Being invited into the finals is a great honour for both the town and our fantastic team, which has worked tirelessly to keep the town vibrant and attractive year round.

'Our work in regenerating public open spaces is widely acclaimed as the most ­significant improvement to our town for many years and is a model for what can be achieved by bringing the whole community together and our many businesses.

'We have a very strong community spirit here and this top accolade, together with our RHS gold awards, mean so much to so many people. We're justly proud of our achievements.'

Stephanie Eynon, RHS community horticulture manager, said: 'It's such an achievement to get to the UK finals. These communities are transforming their towns, cities and villages with ­gardening and environmental activities.

'Volunteers of all ages join in and they make a tremendous impact. It isn't about who beats who in the UK finals, it's about what volunteers are doing for their communities. At the end of the day, every participating community is already a winner.

'Well done Kingsbridge In Bloom and good luck.'

This is the first time Kingsbridge has been a finalist. Kingsbridge In Bloom started eight years ago and now ­comprises 25 volunteers as well as schools and community groups, with the numbers still increasing.

A particular success story has been the regeneration of heritage sites such as the old Primrose Line railway bridge and the lime kiln on the quay. This has brought five successive RHS gold awards and many neighbourhood awards to the town.