A volunteer group have set themselves a target of raising £5,000 for a new van deemed essential in their quest to keeping a South East Cornwall town looking ‘blooming marvellous’.

Looe in Bloom have set up a Go Fund Me page for their fundraising efforts which, if successful, will allow them to purchase a new truck. It can then be used for transporting tools, plants and equipment for all their various projects.

To date, just over £1,200 has been raised, but the group is hopeful this can be increased with the help of the local community.

A spokesperson said: “As a group we are reliant on grants and our own fundraising activities to help keep our trucks on the road. Sadly, these are now getting very old and we recently had to scrap one of the vehicles.

“The aim of the page is to help us raise vital funds to replace the scrapped vehicle and support the running costs of our trucks.”

Just this week, the team have been braving the wintry conditions to help maintain the rose beds at Hannafore. This is one of 100 key sites, including the Memorial Gardens, sea front, boat-filled displays and hanging baskets, which the group maintain and water throughout the year.