When Ann and Martin Were took on an overgrown allotment at the Millennium Field in Monmouth they were happy to roll up their sleeves and get to work.

They certainly didn’t imagine that a few years later they’d be picking up Monmouth Allotment Association’s annual award for the best kept plot of the 70 on site.

Secretary Warren Courtenay-Ricketts said the rosebowl was awarded for the overall standard of the plot - its tidyness, how it is being cultivated and what is being grown, which nowadays takes into account flowers that attract bees and other pollinators.

As a committed Green Party member Ann, a former mayor of Monmouth, could certainly be relied on to encourage the latter.

The rosebowl winner, chosen by last year’s recipient of the prize, also receives a small cheque, as do the allotment holders in second and third place.

"We took on the plot about three years ago when it was really overgrown with nettles. It’s taken us a few years to get it looking like it does now," said Ann.

"We were really surprised to hear we’d won the prize.

"Martin does all the digging, watering and harvesting and I do the planting and cooking!

"We grow a wide range of vegetables such as beetroots, kale, broad and runner beans, sprouts and potatoes. We have tried aubergines and melons but only ended up with one of each - and the mice attacked our sweet corn. We’re waiting to see how we fare with the asparagus we put in this year.

"We also grow pollinator friendly flowers like sweet peas, dahlias and nasturtiums and a range of fruit. We make wine from our redcurrants and different varieties of gooseberry. We tried runner bean wine too but it was a disaster.

"One of our sons waters the plot for us when we’re away, the other just likes eating the produce!"

With the allotments located near the confluence of the Rivers Monnow and Wye, many of the Were’s fellow plot holders are counting the cost of the recent floods - with fencing destroyed by the rushing water and growing beds submerged in up to 18 inches of water.

"I suppose about 20 per cent were affected, including mine," said Warren. "It looked like a lake for a few days.

"The water’s gone now, but everything is covered in mud and silt and we’re doing our best to dry out the sheds.

"It wiped out our winter vegetables and fruit but gardeners are used to the vagaries of the weather! We just keep going.

"It wasn’t as bad as in 2000 when the flood water was up to our thighs, and sheds and railways sleepers were floating from one end of the allotments to the other!"

The allotment holders have recently reformed their management committee, after a break of a few months, with Warren as secretary and a new chairman and treasurer.

"We’re focusing on past, present and future issues and looking forward to getting going with a fresh outlook," he said.