It is the first time the village has entered the competition but it is hoping to learn from the success of the event in Hunstanton, which narrowly missed out on gold last year and was awarded the silver gilt.

A team of residents started clearing overgrown parts of the village greenery over the Easter break ready for planting, and are appealing for more to join in when they get to work again this Sunday and again on Sunday, May 11.

The village's Anglia in Bloom chairman Mike Tuffs said they are focusing on the centre of the village around the Post Office and the quaint Sea Lane this year, with hopes of expanding in years to come with schemes like children's allotments.

"We are not seeking to change the character of the village, just brighten it up and make it a cleaner, more pleasant village to live in," he told the Lynn News.

He said as well as new planting, seats are being painted and surplus road signs removed. A new village sign is also being worked on, and hanging baskets and colourful planters are being installed in the heart of the village.

West Norfolk Council has offered help and support by repairing and renovating the garden area around the beach toilet block, repainting the shelter on Chapel Bank and providing a skip to take away green waste for recycling. Mr Tuffs said the council's head of leisure and public spaces, Chris Bamfield, had been particularly helpful in getting things off the ground.

Anyone who would like to join in the working party on Sunday, starting at 10am in Sea Lane, should contact Mrs Pauline Farncombe at Old Hunstanton Post Office or Mike Tuffs on 01485 535951.