Sunshine and flowers draw in the crowds

Organisers said 400-500 people basked in the sunshine as they toured Hopton in Bloom’s garden trail.

Alison Hayman said: “The weather certainly brought everybody out – we had about double the number we had last year.

“The standards of the gardens was excellent. People were out until 10pm at night and up at 6am gardening – there was a really high standard.

“The village looked beautiful.”

Visitors to Mirfield Sweet Pea Festival could take a break from the sun by viewing 138 vases and five bowls of sweet pea entries in St Paul’s Church.

Yorkshire Sweet Pea Society secretary Darren Myers said: “One stallholder said it was the busiest day she had seen over the three years. The general concensus was that it was the best yet.

“A lot of people I was speaking to hadn’t been before and when they first came in it was a ‘wow’, jaw-dropped kind of expression.”

The date of July 5 has already been set for next year’s festival.