Mike joined in the celebration for the first ever David Smart Award this year, awarded for most creative allotment in Brighton & Hove as part of the City in Bloom prizes.

Mike paid tribute to David at the award ceremony along with Olive Smart, David’s wife, and his council colleague and long-time friend Cllr Dawn Barnett. This year’s winner was Reinlinde Neilson Smith, who won for having the most creative allotment.

Commenting, Mike said: “The David Smart Award is a great way to honour the memory of David. A lover of the outside, David took a huge amount of joy from working on his garden and allotment. The residents of Hangleton & Knoll lost a fantastic community leader last year. I hope that this award will keep his spirit and passion for gardening alive in the future.”

The David Smart Award will be awarded annually to recognise excellence in horticulture within Brighton & Hove. A lifelong Hangleton resident, David died unexpectedly last year. He was a Brighton & Hove City Councillor for Hangleton & Knoll ward from 2007 until he died in December 2010.