Bath in Bloom

The courtyard gardens and green spaces at the Royal United Hospital in Bath are looking blooming marvelous, thanks to the efforts of volunteer gardeners. A team of six dedicated Friends of the Royal United Hospital have been busy preparing the grounds for two VIP visits - the Bloom judges from the Southwest regional heats who arrived this week to examine their efforts and, in August, another team from the prestigious Royal Horticulture Society who will inspect the floral displays for the national Britain in Bloom competition. Bernard Rymer, who is one of the volunteers along with his wife Jane, said: "We have been working hard on the floral displays and containers around the front entrance and in the courtyard gardens behind the atrium. We all love working outside and the team are great friends and we get a lot of pleasure out of it, especially when people come up to us and say lovely things about our gardening." Howard Jones, the hospital's director of estates and facilities, added: "The Bloom competitions are a great incentive for everyone to work together to improve the appearance and environment around the hospital."