I was the founder member of Criccieth in Bloom. We began about 10 years ago now and it's gone from strength to strength. We've won the cup for our sized village in the Wales in Bloom competition several times and, when we progressed to Britain in Bloom, we won the silver gilt award - next will be gold.

We did have the problem of not getting any funding from the local authority, but they've decided to support us now. But so far, we've raised it all ourselves, holding things like a French evening where I dressed up as Johnny Onion! We also had a Pirates Llŷn night, which was lots of fun.

I come from a croft in the Highlands of Scotland and I always had my own garden as a little girl. So I've always loved flowers and gardens and I wanted to help improve Criccieth.

It all started when I got talking to the wife of a local fisherman from Llanystumdwy, and she said her husband had a spare boat for the summer. So I had the idea of putting it on the Maes as a feature. There wasn't anything there before, just a few flowers the local businesses put out. Criccieth had got to look really shabby. We filled the boat with pots and flowers and people began to take a real interest. Now everyone puts a pot out, or makes scarecrows out of flowers - it's great.

We had to give that boat back to the owner, but he gave us a fibreglass one instead, which is still on display on the Maes.

Then I discovered that a local business were revamping their canoes and were going to burn the old ones down on the beach. I asked if could we have them, and they gave me five. We painted them, filled them with flowers and put them on the Maes too.

We've also got some old lobster pots - the best things to grow in those are sea pinks.

Criccieth in Bloom have also helped create a conservation area beside the primary school. We're trying to educate the children not to vandalise things, so our volunteers go to the school, provide the children with their own pots and get them involved in planting - we've even had a competition for the best sunflower.

Criccieth has really been transformed. An artist came to work with some local children on the station - it's well worth a visit. The whole environment has changed and everyone has got involved.
Carol Brown