Retired committee member, Barry Atack, walked away with a prestigious award at the 74th Bolton le Sands Horticultural Society's Annual Autumn Show.

Senior Committee member, Mrs Barbara Bainbridge, presented Mr Atack with the highly coveted RHS Silver medal, in acknowledgment of his significant contributions to the Bolton le Sands Horticultural Society over an impressively expansive 18-year tenure.

Events took place from 2pm till 4pm on October 21 at the Bolton le Sands Community Centre.

Mr Atack, originally from Dewsbury, has, alongside his wife Betty, become renowned for a strikingly advanced understanding of flora.

Their penchant for unusual plants led to their accumulation of an extensive collection of seeds and plants from diverse corners of the globe.

Due to recent circumstances, Mr Atack retired from his positions as panel member at the 'Gardeners Questions' events and as head judge of the village Garden Competition.

This year's show was a bumper year for entries, with the Floral Art section boasting stunning displays inspired by Bonfire Night and Halloween.

Ruth Iveson of Southport clinched the Miss Beaumont Trophy, awarded to the highest scorer in the Floral Art section.

Yealand's Derrick Ireland swept winning stakes across three major prizes - the T W Bellis Trophy, the M Broadwith Trophy, and the Federation Blue Ribbon - for his outstanding vase of five chrysanthemums in Class 307.

The show was well-received, with many attendees lingering behind for the end of show auction driven by Chris Nightingale, who kindly stepped in at the last minute.

The auction raised a total of £36, with £20 being donated to the Forget Me Not Centre at St John’s Hospice, the society's designated charity of the year.

Special commendations were plentiful for the hard-working volunteers and Horticultural Society Committee members, without whom, the event would not have been possible.

A warm shout-out was given to the dedicated WI volunteers for their seamless operation of the kitchen and ensuring tea and cakes were in steady supply.

The Horticultural Society's final event for this year is a talk, 'For Peat’s Sake', by Zoe Munby.

It is scheduled to take place at 7.30pm on November 16 at St Michael's Lane's Old Boys’ School.