Hardworking volunteers saw their efforts pay off when their village was awarded with a gold medal in a London-wide horticultural competition.

E17 Village in Bloom scooped first prize for Walthamstow Village at the London in Bloom awards ceremony on Friday September 22.

The group works to improve the appearance of the village and surrounding areas by planting flowers, cleaning the streets and working with environmental organisations.

Group chairman Helen Lerner said: “We have adopted all the public spaced in the area and there are beautiful flowerbeds that make it nice for people walking around.

“The meadow in the village has done really well this year and lots of people stop to take selfies.

“We are delighted with the prize.”

The group were joined by two other Walthamstow-based groups, Cleveland Park and Wood Street South Gardeners, who were also awarded at the event.

Wood Street South Gardeners won first prize for newcomers and Cleveland Park won “outstanding” in the ‘It’s Your Neighbourhood’ category.

Members of E17 Village in Bloom are now eagerly awaiting the results of the nationwide competition, RHS Britain in Bloom, which they are a finalist in.