TIME is running out to get your entries into award winning shape for this year's Hartlepool Horticultural Show.

There are more than 100 categories this year, ranging from chrysanthemums, dahlias, roses and carnations to carrots, tomatoes, rhubarb and shallots.

If gardening is not your forte, there are also home crafts categories for the best cake made with a vegetable, best vegetable quiche and best scone, plus children’s sections including best fruit or vegetable man or model.

This year, flower arranging has been reintroduced, with people invited to submit floral displays on the themes of 50 Years of Flower Arranging and 70 Years of Peace.

The National Gladiolus Society will also be holding its Northern Exhibition at the event, attracting growers from all over the north and Midlands.

Show secretary Tom Hammond said: “No matter what your ability, this is a chance to ‘have a go’, especially with such a wide range of categories plus the welcome return of the flower arranging sections.

“Even if you’re not competing, it’s still a fun day out for all the family and entry to view the show is free.”

The annual event, which is supported by Hartlepool Council, will take place this year in the Borough Hall on Hartlepool’s Headland on Saturday, August 22 from 12.30pm to 5pm and the next day from 11am to 4pm.

Copies of the show schedule and entry form are available from Hartlepool Art Gallery and Tourist Information Centre in Church Square on 01429-890000, email susan.french@hartlepool.gov.uk or from Tom Hammond on 01429-870411.

People can enter right up to the day before the show. They can also enter in person at the Borough Hall on the first day of the show itself between 6am and 9am.