EVERYTHING in the garden is bloomin' lovely for a green-fingered Bolton family.

The Ward family of Green Way, Hall i' th' Wood now have officially the best garden on Bolton's council estates.

It is the second award that the family has won in as many months after also winning a first prize for the best garden on their estate.

The annual best garden competition is organised by Bolton Council and is open to all residents on all council estates.

Mrs Wendy Ward explained how the garden has been transformed from "rubble" into a prize-winning condition.

She said: "We have a daughter who has cerebral palsy and when we moved in there were steps and it was totally unsuitable for her.

"We have had to design the garden in a way that would still allow her the freedom to use it."

She said that most of the ideas for the garden had come from either television gardening programmes or magazines.

Teenager Steven Grecian, aged 14, is the young gardener of the year after judges were impressed with his garden plot at his home at Heatherfields on the Oldhams Estate at Astley Bridge.

The prize for the most improved garden went to Mrs Joan Berry of Aster Avenue, Farnworth, who judges said had carried out "an exceptional transformation" of her garden since moving in three months ago. Prizes for plants in pots went to two tenants on the Oldhams Estate -- Mr Henry Grecian and Mrs Joan Mulraney.

Cllr Noel Spencer, Bolton Council's Cabinet member for housing said: "The high standard of previous years has been surpassed and it is wonderful to see so many tenants taking pride in their surroundings.

"It has really been a pleasure to go out and judge this year's competition. I'd like to congratulate all the winners and everybody taking part."

The judges were Cllr Spencer and Cllr Mrs Linda Thomas and Trevor Leese, manager of the council's People and Places programme which promotes environmentally friendly projects throughout Bolton.