This year’s recipient of the Rushen Millennium Cup has the accolade for making Port Erin look so bloomin’ lovely.

Brian Harris has spent hundreds of hours tending flowers in planters in the village.

In thanks, Captain of the Parish Stan Clucas and his wife Pam awarded him the cup as they do each year to someone who makes a significant contribution to the parish community.

Brian said he was ’shocked’ but ’pleased as punch’.

He explained it all began six years ago.

’It was a chance conversation in the pub when my friend Paul Cain - who sadly died a few years ago -was talking to Nick Watterson, who’s a commissioner and said they had nobody to look after the planters which were in a dreadful state. We started then.

’There were five planters on the lower promenade, now there are 26 of them dotted around the village.’

He buys the plants at the start of the year, grows them and plants them in planters in May.

He tends to them throughout the summer, which takes hundreds of hours.

Such is the scale of the endeavour the local authority’s Andy Collard started doing the watering this year.

’That’s why they look so lovely this year,’ he said.

The retired gardener, who once worked for billionaire Peter Whittaker, said: ’I’ve been here for 30 years.

’I was in the TT, in the side cars. I’ve always loved the island. If you live in a place you are morally duty bound to look after it.

’When people come up and say how nice it looks it gives you a buzz. It’s nice you do all that and someone appreciates it.’