YOUNG gardeners are preparing to defend their championship title at one of the UK’s most prestigious shows.

Students from Askham Bryan College near York will be battling it out at this month’s Ideal Home Show in London to retain their title of Young Gardeners of the Year which they took at last year’s event.

The competition celebrates green fingered talent and sees students from six colleges go head-to-head at the famous event which attracts stars as diverse as television’s money saving expert Martin Lewis and Candice Brown, winner of the 2016 Great British Bake Off.

The show runs from March 24 to April 7 and the students have five days to build and plant their garden in readiness for the judges and the tens of thousands of visitors.

Course manager Daniel Lambert said: “The standard of horticulture at the college has always been extremely high and we will certainly be putting up a stiff fight to retain our title.”