PROUD gardeners are invited to show off their skills in this year’s Hillingdon in Bloom competition.

It is a chance for enthusiasts to make Hillingdon a more attractive place by demonstrating their horticultural skills.

In Bloom will be launched at the Rural Activities Garden Centre, West Drayton Road, West Drayton, this Monday at 10.30am.

It will mark the beginning of the gardening calendar and give potential entrants the chance to find out more.

Entry is free and categories range from window boxes and balconies to front gardens and communal spaces.

Closing date is the end of June and winners will be announced in September after judging in July.

To enter online, visit www.hillingdon.gov.uk/bloom Entry forms are also available from Hillingdon libraries and the Civic Centre, Uxbridge.

Aspiring photographers are encouraged to take part in the Summer Snaps competition.

Pictures will be judged on composition, lighting, originality and creativity and will be judged by Hillingdon’s green spaces manager Paul Richards and photography lecturer Jean-Marc Teychenne.

You can enter the 16 and under and adults categories by emailing your pictures to vadams@hillingdon.gov.uk with ‘summer snaps’ in the subject heading.