Thanks to the hard work of a great bunch of volunteers, Shepton Snowdrops' ambition to blanket the town white with snowdrops moved ever closer.

More than 45,000 bulbs have been planted in Collett Park and another 5,000 along the newly opened Strawberry Line near Shepton Mallet.

Shepton Mallet Horticultural Society began planting snowdrop bulbs in 2015 and planting has taken place each year ever since, even during Covid. In total almost 400,000 snowdrop bulbs have been planted in the last seven years, visible each February as magnificent swathes of delicate white flowers on verges, roundabouts and community spaces across the town.

This year, Shepton Snowdrops was delighted to welcome some new planting volunteers. Chrisi Kennedy, director of Shepton Snowdrops, said they were very grateful for the support: "Over the years, a core group of hardy volunteers has turned out in all weathers to plant bulbs but this year it's been a real pleasure to see new volunteers join us. We were very pleased to welcome staff from British Solar Renewables, the local Beavers Group and other people from the local community who came for the first time. We hope to see you all again next year!"

She added: "Our very special thanks must go to Yeo Valley Organic Garden who opened their beautiful garden at Blagdon in February to coincide with the Festival. Their generous donation allowed us to place a bumper order for bulbs this year."

The programme for the 2023 Snowdrop Festival in February is now complete. Snowdrop and spring plant sales, beautiful craft, workshops, walks, a talk, open gardens, prize giving for the poetry and photography competitions, and a great deal more, all promise to make it the best ever. The main events will take place on Friday 17 and Saturday 18 February, with an extensive Festival fringe in the week leading up to the Festival and over the weekend.