Gardeners dealt a blow for Yorkshire in Bloom by cold snap

Volunteers from Hopton in Bloom are disappointed about the Yorkshire In Bloom spring judging being cancelled after all the hard work they have put in. Kathryn Cockerill and Frankie with other members of Hopton in Bloom (Anne Blamiles, Tricia Bland, John Broscombe, Margaret Gill and Alison Hayman). (D533E316)

Members of the award-winning Hopton In Bloom group had planted more than 4,000 bulbs across the village in preparation for Yorkshire In Bloom’s spring judging.

The village is normally inspected twice a year – once in spring, once in summer – but it will now only be seen in the summer this year after last week’s visit was cancelled.

By that time, many of the flowers Hopton In Bloom has planted will have gone.

Chairwoman Kath Cockerill said: “We planted thousands of tulip and daffodil bulbs last Autumn and that has been one of the biggest disappointments.

“They are nice now, but they’ll be gone by the time the summer judging happens.”

Mrs Cockerill said because the wintry weather had lasted so long this year, the village’s plants were two or three weeks behind where they would normally be.

Under those circumstances, Yorkshire In Bloom’s judges decided it would not be fair to judge anyone this spring.

Instead, it will hand out its awards based on its summer judging alone, when Hopton In Bloom hopes to build on the success of last year, when it was given a gold medal.