Joshua Allen knows how to bring out the sun – this is the second year in a row he has won the 11-and-under category of Shipston Rotary’s annual Tallest Sunflower competition, now in its 10th year.

This year Joshua, aged nine, grew his sunflower to an amazing 9ft 6ins, having saved the seed from his giant prize-wining sunflower last year, which had measured over 15ft.

Meanwhile 13-year-old Robyn Pelwenkhan managed to encourage her sunflower to reach the impressive height of 12ft 5ins to win the prize for the over-11s. Robyn last won the competition in 2020 when she used her prize money to buy a sunflower clock which she still has.

The two winners each receive a £10 Amazon voucher. Other entrants this year included Beatrice Taylor (7ft 9ins) and Susan Perry (6ft 8ins) and Laila Darbyshire, the youngest at age three, whose sunflower grew all the way to 6ft 5ins.

Congratulations to all the green-fingered, flower-powered growers.