SWINDON sweetheart Melinda Messenger is scouring the area for the best landscaping job in town.

Messenger, 44, is the face of a new campaign by timber and builder merchant Travis Perkins, which aims to celebrate the best of professional landscaping in Swindon and beyond.

High 5 is an invitation for satisfied clients to sing the praises of their contractors and submit them as candidates for a regional award.

The best entry from Swindon, as judged by a panel of experts, will be in with a chance of being awarded Best Landscape Job in the South region.

The best of the best in Scotland, Wales, Northern, Central and Southern England will form the Travis Perkins High 5.

Each winner will claim a weekend away for two and a meeting with Channel 5’s Cowboy Builders presenter Messenger, at a celebratory lunch at the Kensington Roof Gardens in September.

“Over the years, I’ve had brilliant experiences of tradesmen working with me, yet there are so many cowboy tradesmen out there,” said Messenger. I’m working with Travis Perkins on the High 5 project to find the people who are getting it right and show everyone just how valuable the landscape gardener is in making Britain a green and pleasant land.

“A good landscape gardener can transform even the smallest space into something interesting. Someone who can utilise the space imaginatively and really listen to what their client needs, is what we’re looking for.

“We’re looking for examples of great landscaping work. It could be the creation of an all-weather seating area, structure added to a bland landscape, a lawn that gives Wembley a run for its money or simply a driveway packed with personality using inventive paving.

“I’ll be looking for innovation, creativity and imagination from the entries – a space that I’d want to go into."

“In addition, there will have to be a mix of textures and materials that work well together, it should be a low maintenance garden, but done brilliantly.”

Lucy Miller, of Travis Perkins, said: “The trade has been badly hit by the recession, but there is an overwhelming sense of optimism right now and property owners are starting to invest in their homes once more.

“A good landscape gardener treats the garden like an outside room, putting together a comprehensive spec that uses high-quality trade products to create an interesting space that meets the client’s needs.”

Nominations must come from the client by Monday, August 17, but landscapers can encourage an entry by handing out a nomination card collected fro Travis Perkins in Caen View, Rushey Platt. Entries can also be submitted at www.travisperkins.co.uk/competitions