BOVEY Tracey can now boast it has one of the most colourful pubs in the south west.

The town’s Cromwell Arms has been a haven of colour for the past few summers thanks to its display of hanging baskets and window boxes – the efforts of the pub tenants Gary and Julie Roberts.

Their hard work to brighten up the town centre has just been recognised by the Royal Horticultural Society which has named the Cromwell the third-best floral-decorated pub in the West Country in its South West In Bloom competition.

Gary said: ‘Julia and I decide the colour scheme and overall design, and maintain and water the display every summer.

‘We’ve been doing it for eight years now.

‘We didn’t know it at the time but we had been put forward by Cllr Mark Tregonning. It was a fantastic surprise to be told we’d won an award.’

Bovey Tracey has already received its own prize in the small towns and village category, and Cllr Tregonning, along with town mayor Clr Tony Allen and other councillors were happy to take part in a special presentation to mark the double success. Also present was a representative of pub owners St Austell Brewery (pictured right).

Cllr Allen said: ‘To think of how many pubs there must be between Bristol and the Lizard, being voted third-best is a great achievement for the Cromwell.’