The Great British Weather has a habit of causing concern in the run-up to the show. In previous years, we’ve had high winds and rain battering our gardens and ruining flowers and crops alike. This year was quite the opposite, with week after week of very hot weather, and no rain, our gardens are parched and looking pretty sad. So, it was with some trepidation that the Club opened its doors on Saturday 11 July: would there be sufficient entries? – would the local community venture out on such a hot afternoon?

We needn’t have worried, as the show was as spectacular as ever with a grand total of 253 entries covering the majority of classes, and 141 attendees. We were very pleased to sign-up three new members too. The judges all commented on how well everyone had done with their entries, given the recent very hot weather. The fruit and vegetables on display were particularly good and for the first time in many years a vegetable won the coveted ‘Best in Show’; won by Alison Lang for her two fabulous aubergines in Class 63 – ‘any other vegetable’. The judge was particularly pleased to be able to award ‘Best in Show’ for a vegetable – a very close runner up was Anne Waddell for her beautiful dahlias.

Of the 29 entrants, we were delighted that there were four new entrants. Brilliant! I do hope that you all enjoyed the day. We know that entering a show for the first time can be rather daunting and so we have adopted a Buddy approach where new entrants are buddied-up with someone on the Shows Committee – feedback from new entrants is very positive, saying that it makes entering much easier and enjoyable. 

This year, some pupils from Grayshott school came along with items they had grown or made; our main judge gave comments on each and every exhibit and all were given a Grayshott Gardeners rosette – much to delight of the pupils. The President’s Award, selected by Gordon, was given to the ‘very wonky’ carrots in Class 53 from Alison Lang.  

Many congratulations to the following winners:

Home Produce Cup	Amanda Dowden
Floral Arrangement Trophy	Sue Erler
Photography Prize	Liz Munson
Mike Hallt Cup	Andy Karayianni
Davies Rose Cup	Viki Cresswell
Smith Cup	Anne Waddell
Davies Tankard	Pamela and Alan Wright
Novice Cup	Alison Lang
Littlejohn Rose Bowl	Pamela and Alan Wright
Banksian Medal	Alison Lang
Best in Show Plate	Alison Lang

Staging a show is a huge team effort and many thanks go to our Shows Committee, led by Pamela, who work tirelessly to pull together all the varied strands to produce such a brilliant show. A special thank you to all the many volunteers who help on the day: Plant sales;  our bakers who bake delicious cakes for the Teas; setting up the hall; the tombola and finally a huge ‘Thank You’ to the local Scouts who stayed on to help us clear-up after the show, thereby making such a welcome difference to our exhausted exhibitors.

Here are some more photos from the day: