Judges from London in Bloom have awarded Croydon its first ever gold-standard certificate to add to the borough’s ever-growing list of impressive green credentials.

The awards ceremony at the London Guildhall saw Croydon narrowly miss out on winning the overall ‘champion of champions’ crown as the City of London managed to nudge ahead in the final.

This was despite the borough achieving its highest ever score across the three judging categories.

The gold certificate recognises an improvement on previous years, and Croydon romped to first place in the biodiversity competition as well as second place for its floral displays.

Jean McClymont also scooped a personal award, with her fantastic front garden in Carlton Avenue, South Croydon and was named as second-best in the entire capital.

The judges’ scorecard for Croydon showed that they were particularly impressed with the level of involvement shown with local people.

The 9,000 votes received through the borough’s parks to be proud of campaign, an increase in the growing number of active friends groups and 3,500-plus annual volunteer days all added up to an excellent rating.

Councillor Sara Bashford, cabinet member for customer services, culture and sport, said: “This is a truly wonderful achievement, and I was immensely proud of the officers who returned from the awards ceremony on Friday under such a weight of new certificates.

Croydon is really beginning to shake off its unwarranted grey reputation and it is accolades like these that will help us to reinforce the important message that our borough is alive with nature and is a brilliant place to live and work.”