Ham and Petersham has been voted the best village in London.

At the RHS London in Bloom awards the area was praised for its horticultural achievements, environmental responsibility and community participation.

The judge said: “The rural character has been preserved to the present day.

“It is charming and a very much sought after area to live in.

“Our three-hour tour included examples of every aspect of life far in excess of what one would expect of a village.

“Children from all six schools participate in some form of community garden work and are actively involved in conservation and environmental projects in their own schools.

“Grey Court School has been extremely successful and it was the first place we visited.

“A village green, an allotment, a playground and an historical house (Ham house in this instance) is probably to be expected; but an abundance of forests and meadows surrounding it, less so.”

The Neighbourhood Forum received special mention for its success in bringing many groups together and consulting residents, schools, businesses, and faith groups in order to produce the Neighbourhood Plan, which will impact Richmond Council’s future plans for the village.

The Forum has also been successful in getting a bid selected to receive money from the Community Infrastructure Levy, a levy paid by developers of new buildings to the council.

Ham and Petersham will receive more than £180,000 of the £1million to be spent in Richmond.

There are three local projects bidding for the money, one of which is the Forum’s bid for a feasibility study into a new cycle route between Kingston and Richmond.

The other two are the refurbishment of St Andrew's Church hall and funds to help with the rebuild of the Petersham and Ham Sea Scouts hut.

The Forum is supporting all three of these projects.

To vote, go to: http://www.richmond.gov.uk/myrichmond/village_plans/village_planning_fund by the deadline on October 27.