A LANDSCAPER has been announced as a winner in a nationwide competition for his trade.

Penarth man José Novoa triumphed in the UK wide-contest fronted by tv presenter Melinda Messenger.

Mr Novoa caught the eye of the Cowboy Builders presenter and former glamour model, and the Travis Perkins 'High 5' judges, with his work, which transformed a small garden area into a levelled decking to enjoy eating and cooking, surrounded by shrubbery for privacy.

The first part of his prize was lunch with Ms Messenger at Kensington Roof Gardens, as well as winning a luxury city break for two.

Hundreds of entries flooded in from people across the region keen to give a high five to the people who transformed their outdoor space into something special.

The judges said they were blown away by a variety of residential and community work which included innovative use of materials, creative paving, beautiful planting and many more that were sent in by entrants.

A total of five regional winners were crowned, from Scotland, Wales, northern, central and southern England.

Mr Novoa, 35, said: “I love my work and take a lot of pride in it, so to be honoured like this is really special. I’m not sure what’s better - winning the prize or getting to meet Melinda Messenger.”

Ms Messenger said: “Travis Perkins wanted to see the best landscaping the country has to offer and the entries we received confirmed the quality of work that’s going on all over the country.

"Picking the winners was incredibly hard, but José’s entry stood out. I really enjoyed meeting him to say ‘well done’ in person - now I need to see if he’s free to come and transform my garden.”