WARMER weather over recent weeks has meant Marlborough’s annual Bluebell Sundays will be earlier this year.

The Lions Club of Marlborough has brought forward the date because the flowers have bloomed earlier, turning the West Woods near Manton into a carpet of blue.

Every year the club opens areas of West Woods not usually accessible to the public in cars so visitors can enjoy the bluebells from the comfort of their vehicles.

Last year the cold spring meant the club was forced to put back the two Bluebell Sundays because the bluebells took longer to come into bloom.

But things are back on track this year and the first event will take place on Sunday.

John Edmunds, president of the Marlborough Lions, said: “Last year of course everything was late so we had to wait until the weekends of the 12th and 19th of May but this year everything is a few weeks earlier so we are having our first visit this Sunday.

“They are quite unpredictable but I went to the woods last week and there were quite a lot of bluebells so hopefully by Sunday there will be a nice carpet of bluebells.

“If the weather is good it’s very nice. We get people coming from all over the place.”

Bluebells only bloom for a couple of weeks in late spring and the Lions open up the woods for two days of spring to raise money for the Lions Club charities.

Lions member Jane Truman will be helping out. She said: “It’s something we look forward to every year. There are always hundreds of visitors and the car park is full.

On Sunday the gated area will be open between 10am and 5pm. The next event will be on Sunday, May 4.