The vagaries of the British weather are always a challenge for us gardeners. Last year, the challenge was how to stop potential exhibits from being battered down by the weeks of wind and torrential rain. This year however, Spring had definitely sprung in time for our show and so the main challenge was whether to move potential exhibits into the shade to hold them back a bit or to move them into the warm sunshine! Well done to our members who contributed across all the classes – it was especially good to see some new entrants. The judges were delighted with the quality of the entries, and said it was really excellent to see such support for our club. Hope to see you all again at the Summer Show.
The glorious weather brought out the local community in their droves to enjoy the spectacle and they certainly weren’t disappointed! The show offers such a wide variety of exhibits that there was something for everyone to enjoy, young and old alike: viewing the stunning exhibits; admiring the artistry of the craft exhibits and floral arrangements; voting for their favourite photograph; having a flutter on the tombola or recharging over tea accompanied by a wide selection of delicious, homemade cakes. Some people however, barely paused to admire the wall of colour greeting them on entering the hall – they were focussed on making a beeline to the perennially popular plant sale! This year there was the added interest of Jan’s delicate floral watercolours for sale.
The finale of the show is always the presentation of the cups which this year were awarded as follows:
Gladys Wilmot Cup (Home-produce) – Amanda Dowden
Denyer Cup (Flower arranging) – Sue Erler
Craft Prize – Eda Hughes
Photography Prize – Karen Cozens
Spring Cup (Spring bulbs) – Judith Rae
Gardeners Cup (Cut and pot/container-grown exhibits) – Ann Haussauer
Novice Cup (The exhibitor with the highest number of points who hasn’t won a cup before) – Amanda Dowden
Whitehouse Cup (All classes other than photography and craft) – Judith Rae
Best in Show Plate – Ann Haussauer
Pictures speak louder than words and here’s a selection of photos that sum-up the happy afternoon:
Finally, there’s an enormous amount of effort involved in putting on a show, much of it behind the scenes – so a huge thank you to everyone for their help and contributions which helped make the Spring Show such a success. Now… must start thinking about my Summer Show entries….