A gardening project helping a “real community spirit” grow has collected two awards just one year after forming.

Epping in Bloom saw success at the Anglia in Bloom awards today (September 6), as it collected a silver certificate for a town with between 6,000 and 12,000 residents.

A display at the Underground station where flowers, vegetables and herbs grow was also named the best floral display by an individual or community.

The group, led by chairman Victoria Robertson, formed in March last year with £2,000 from Epping Town Council.

“It is an absolutely amazing result for Epping,” said Ms Robertson.

“I am absolutely ecstatic.

“An amazing result for the town and all the children who took part and the whole of the In Bloom team, who drove the project forward and got people to do what we did.

“Everyone who has been here for 20 years, they have been saying that to win an award like that on our first time is amazing, they were really happy for us.

“We are definitely looking forward to next year.”

Judges visited the town in July and saw the Tube and fire stations, the civic offices and Tower Road, where schoolchildren-designed flower beds were planted.

The In Bloom group is now focusing on the “massive task” of opening a community garden behind Marks & Spencer on September 30.

Ms Robertson said: “It will be really nice for everyone in Epping, I think it will bring people together.

“After that we will get back to the drawing board for next year.”

Town mayor Leslie Burrows said: “Congratulations to all of the volunteers and the chairman.

“Of course, it is only in its second year… it really does reflect well on the town, what they are doing.”

He also thanked Tesco and Marks & Spencer for donations to the group.

Visiting the town, Anglia in Bloom judge Nolan Mills previously said: “We’ve been absolutely blown over, we don’t normally get emotional when we see something but when you see a project like this all coming together, it makes you think – we’re doing something amazing and very useful.

“It is excellent.

“Epping has only just started this year, it is the first and they’ve been good so hopefully this is the start of very, very good things to come.”