RESIDENTS and businesses are being urged to back plans to make Tadley blooming marvellous - and to not be put off by ongoing roadworks.

Tadley Town Council wants to encourage local businesses to sponsor spots of land around the town by planting bulbs and shrubs to brighten up the verges - and advertise their trade.

Leading the way is town councillor and business owner Julia Hunt, who has sponsored a patch of land on the corner of Hillcrest for the last month, and planted the spot with a pretty mixture of shrubs, daffodils and crocuses.

Cllr Hunt, who owns Tulipa gift shop in Mulfords Hill, said: "It's about taking pride in the town and making Tadley a better place to live and work.

"I think it raises people's spirits if the town is neater and brighter.

"Flowers always cheer people up, and as Tadley council doesn't have much money to pay for them, we are looking for sponsorship from people."

Cllr Hunt said the council hopes that the A340 roadworks will not deter businesses from sponsoring land along the road.

But she said the council recognised it may have to wait until the work is finished before sponsorship deals are actually completed.

Cllr Hunt said: "It's a difficult time to ask people to sponsor land in Tadley because of the roadworks.

"Nobody will want to plant the land for it to be ripped out again, but we hope people will look at it as a more long-term project."

Cllr Hunt, who is also the chairman of the recreation and leisure committee, said the council was open to all suggestions from companies looking to sponsor a part of the town.

"We don't want to just tell people which plots we want sprucing up. We are open to any ideas they might have, includ ing sponsoring hanging baskets," she said.

She added that Tadley council had already started a programme of bulb planting to perk up the town, which included hundreds of bright yellow daffodils on grass verges along the A340, dozens of bluebells in Bishopswood Road and Sheridan Crescent and planting three flowerbeds in Huntsmoor Road.

"We had a lot of very positive comments back from people about the new flowers this year, and one resident even suggested that we enter the Britain in Bloom competition, so the sponsorship deals would build on that success," she said.

Anyone interested in sponsoring a patch of land can contact Tadley Town Council on 0118 981 3360.

Companies wishing to display a sign bearing the company name would then need to apply to Basingstoke council for an advertising licence.