MARLOW is holding its breath for the results of a top horticultural award after judges arrived to inspect standards in the town.

Marlow Mayor Suzanne Brown and town clerk Annie Jones guided the Thames Valley and Chiltern in Bloom judges through the town’s beauty spots on July 23.

And after a call to residents to spruce up their streets and gardens ahead of their arrival, Mayor Brown says she has her fingers crossed Marlow can walk away with a gold award in the new town centre category.

She said: "As far as we know everything went well. They keep everything very close to their chests, but the town was looking good when they came.

"They do not tell you anything, and we won’t even know if we’ve got any award until the day. I am happy we have scored better than last year.

"We had some new things to show them and I think they appreciated that."

Last year, Marlow scooped a silver certificate in recognition of its efforts, with the town council hopeful that features such as Riley Park’s ‘Heritage Trail’ and the Triangle community allotment project will win the judges over this time around.

Thames Valley and Chiltern in Bloom is part of the national Britain in Bloom competition run by the Royal Horticultural Society.

As well as recognising floral displays, points are awarded for community engagement and overall management of public space.

Marlow was also given a boost by the award of ‘Green Flag’ status to Higginson Park for the eleventh year running.

The results will be announced next month at a ceremony in Henley-on-Thames.