Last updated 19:53, Thursday, 04 September 2008

DISTINGTON has won three awards in this year’s Cumbria in Bloom awards.

The awards, announced yesterday, named the village as runners-up for the National Park trophy, awarded to the best large village or small country town, a category won by Kirkby Stephen.

The village’s young people were also acclaimed as runners-up for the Doreen Parsons Young Persons’ trophy, which was won by Keswick’s St Herbert’s School, and the village itself won a silver gilt medal.

Awards were presented at Houghton Hall Garden Centre in Carlisle after judging in July which was completed earlier than in previous years so it could include schools, who have been encouraged to participate, and 49 communities received awards.

The Cumberland News Trophy for small tidy villages went to Hilton cum Murton, near Penrith; and the BNFL trophy for large villages went to Grasmere with Caldbeck as runners-up.

Caldbeck and Hesket Newmarket were joint winners of the award for the best village in Allerdale , and Keswick won the Jennings Trophy for the best small town.

A Royal Horticultural Society neighbourhood award went to Beckstone Primary School, Harrington, while Cockermouth, Keswick and Threlkeld won silver gilt medals and Workington a bronze.