GREEN-fingered residents are celebrating the success of their summer competition encouraging youngsters to get out and see the town.

Halstead in Bloom, which is run by volunteers, has been staging a Summer Trail since July 22 which is due to end tomorrow.

Committee member Fiona Bazley said she thought it would be a nice idea to theme an outdoor activity around the civic organisation this year.

She said: “Through the holidays we have a trail for children and I tried to choose items relevant to Halstead in Bloom. We have 15 shops participating in the high street.

“It’s just to get the children out looking at the shops and seeing the town. It’s coming to its end and it’s been quite popular. We tried to promote it as much as possible.

“People have said they really enjoyed it.”

Fiona chose 15 special items to hide in shop windows around the town each beginning with a different letter which together should spell out “Halstead in Bloom”.

There is a cuddly hedgehog toy representing the letter H and an insect house for the letter I.

There is also a ladybird, ants, an earwig and other emblems in mystery locations in the form of toys, pictures and figurines. Participants are encouraged to go hunting for them and log their locations on an application form that can be downloaded from the Halstead in Bloom website.

Winners will be announced after Fiona collects the forms and marks them. The competition comes as Halstead in Bloom celebrates its 20th year.

Group chairman Margaret Eskins said: “The main purpose of Halstead in Bloom is to make the town look inviting for residents and visitors by keeping it tidy.

“We also run competitions with them during the summer. We like to encourage youth groups to cultivate areas near them.”

Margaret said she is feeling optimistic about the Anglia in Bloom contest, which will hold its awards ceremony on September 10.

She said: “We’ll go to St Ives on September 23 for the results and we’ve also been nominated for the Britain in Bloom awards later this year.

“When you reach the top for so many years it’s hard to keep the standard up. It’s not the be-all and end-all but it’s nice to bring a trophy back. It’s not just for Halstead in Bloom, it’s for the town as well.”

The Summer Trail prize is £20 for first place, £10 for second and £5 for third.