HALSTEAD swept the floor at the Anglia In Bloom awards.

Campaigners heard the words they had longed to hear when judges announced the town had won the coveted gold standard.

It beat rivals Brightlingsea, Maldon and Sudbury to top the 6,001 to 12,000 residents category.

A group of 32 Halstead In Bloom supporters travelled to Gorleston, Norfolk, for the awards results.

Julia Smith, secretary, and Michael Portway, chairman, set the group up ten years ago and have come agonisingly close to the gold standard almost every time for the past five years.

Mrs Smith said yesterday’s news made all the hard work worth it.

At the Ocean Rooms, where the event was held, she said: “I haven’t come down yet. We are all so pleased. I think they heard us in Yarmouth. I have spoken to David Hume (the town mayor) who is on holiday, and he said he has got tears in his eyes and wanted to congratulate us.”

There were eight entries in the town category, but only four received a gold.

Mr Portway and deputy mayor Jackie Pell went up to collect the award, and Mrs Pell said her knees “were like water”.

Mrs Smith added: “It will give heart to everybody who helped. We now need as much help, if not more help, next year.”

Derek Homes, of Daniel Robinson funeral directors, who chauffeured the judges on the day, said: “We are thrilled to bits for them. They worked so hard.”

Anglia In Bloom judges villages, towns and cities from Essex, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire, Norfolk and Suffolk.

Chairman of judges George Dawson, who visited Halstead, said: “The campaign is not only about flowers. Many different categories are looked at, such as environmental quality, community involvement, biodiversity and involvement of young people.

“Community involvement seems to be the key to success. When everyone is involved, the rewards are tremendous.”