BUSINESSES have been getting into the spirit of this year's Worcester in Bloom by displaying hanging baskets outside their shops.

For the past month, the bright colours and fragrant smells of flowers have greeted shoppers around the city centre.

David Wood, who runs the Worcester Furniture Centre in the Cornmarket, has been a great supporter of the festival.

Every year he does his bit with a fine display of hanging baskets outside his shop, which is based in an historic Georgian house.

His shop automatically qualifies as a tulip member of the Worcester in Bloom Association, which has been tailored to appeal to businesses.

"This year we've taken-up seven baskets which the city council has supplied and waters and maintains on a regular basis, and I don't have the least hesitation in recommending association membership to all other retailers in the city.

"As business people, I think that local traders should do all they can to make the city look even more appealing to tourists, but there is more to it than that.

"Aside from saying, 'Yes, I'm a wholehearted supporter of Worcester in Bloom and I want to do my bit to make the city as attractive as I can', there is also a definite spin-off in terms of generating additional sales.

"We view it as a valuable partnership between ourselves and the city council and it's a feature our customers regularly remark on," he said.

Mr Woods added that it is also a powerful sales aid that retailers really can benefit from by attracting more customers.

The closing date for this year's competition is Saturday, July 26.