THOUSANDS of garden enthusiasts descended on the Three Counties Showground in Malvern as the annual Malvern Spring Festival proved a roaring success.

Visitors and tourists saw gardens from designers based all over the country, and awards were handed out to the best.

Prestigious gold medals were handed out to Anna Galaghan for her "The Mindset" garden, Sebastian Conrad and Kate Rees for their "What If" garden, Peter Dowle for his "Garden of quiet contemplation", Vilaggio Verde for "The Orange Express", Jessica Makins and Stephanie Tudor for "An artist's studio at home" and Sara Edwards for "Defiance".

There were also garden exhibits designed by pupils from several Worcestershire schools, including: RGS Worcester, Cradley Primary School, Malvern Wells School, Bredon School, Abberley Hall School, Stanley Road Primary, Cherry Orchard, Tudor Grange and Our Place Schools.

The festival also played host to an array of celebrity guests including DJ Jo Whiley and chef Raymond Blanc, as well as famous faces from the world of gardening including Monty Don, Carol Klein, Chris Beardshaw and Joe Swift.

Throughout the festival there were stage talks and demonstrations from the guests, as well as stalls selling food from all over the world, a variety of clothes stalls and garden improvement products for visitors to enjoy.

Head of Shows Diana Walton said: "We have had a fantastic few days with so many wonderful new designers, a great crowd and lots of children which is great to see.

"This year we have had more first-time designers than ever before, we have also had our first ever international gold medal winner.

"What we want to show is that this is a great place for new designers and we are a very inclusive show."