It's the time of year where once again preparations begin for the annual Shepton Mallet celebration of snowdrops.

Although the Snowdrop Festival itself doesn't take place until February (13-19), the team from the Shepton Mallet Snowdrop Project is already hard at work planting snowdrop bulbs all around the town to create a show of snowdrops for everyone to enjoy next year.

And they are asking people in Shepton to get involved too, to help blanket the town white with snowdrops!

People are being encouraged to create swathes of white by planting snowdrops in roadside verges and community green spaces; to plant patches of snowdrops in their garden, or even just in a pot on a window sill.

There are some snowdrop bulbs available to buy in large quantities from the website. One hundred snowdrop bulbs will plant 1 sq m of ground/grass verge. You'll find coverage will look sparse in the first year but each year your snowdrops will multiply and in around five years time you should see some lovely coverage.

Alternatively, you will be able to purchase smaller quantities on Friday, September 23 at the Friday Market or on Saturday, September 24 between 10am and 3pm outside Tesco.

If you don't have the facilities to buy or plant snowdrops yourself, then you can also join in the planting days on Friday, October 7, Saturday, October 8, Friday, October 14 and Saturday, October 15. To find out more about volunteering, click HERE.