RECORD NUMBERS HELP MAKE SHOW A HIT
CLEVEDON MERCURY PRESS REPORT
A record number of exhibitors and some late summer sun helped make the 113th Clevedon Flower Show a success.
The annual two-day event attracted hundreds of visitors to the Salthouse Field over the Bank Holiday weekend.
Club president Carole Wring arrived in a vintage Rolls Royce with Julia Elton, who opened the show at lunchtime on Saturday.
They were closely followed by the City of Bristol Pipes & Drums Band, which had marched through the town from Queen's Square.
As ever, the triumph of the show was the fabulous displays staged in the giant marquees.
The 338 classes included fruit, flowers and vegetables, cookery, crafts, wines and photography.
This year, 227 exhibitors were competing for top honours, a record number for the show.
The rose classes were well supported, with M Sheppard carrying off a fistful of firsts, including the Rose Championship for the Cam Gears Rose Bowl.
Mr Sheppard also caught the judges' eyes in the gladiolus classes, although fierce competition was provided by John Anderson and John Hazel, whose perfect specimens drew admiring glances from the many visitors.
The pot plant championship for the society's Pot Plant Shield and the begonia championship for the MJ Willcocks Trophy both went to went to LN Earl for an amazing collection of blooms, while the Avalon Trophy for the best garden display exhibit was won in a canter with an eye-catching bank of multi-coloured begonias jointly displayed by Mr Wiloughby and Mr Billinger.
Paul Hearse and John Nicholass cleaned up between them in the fuchsia classes, John Jackson showed the expert's touch with his chrysanthemums and D Holbrook, Alan Baker and Anne Jenkins shared most of the spoils with their prize-winning dahlia exhibits.
Standards in the fruit and vegetable classes were as high as ever and there were any number of superb specimens in all classes.
Mark Perry deservedly won the Charles Heal Trophy for a vegetable collection with the show-stopping arrangement and quality of the purple cauliflower, leeks, celery, potatoes and carrots.
He also demonstrated that this was no fluke by carrying off a whole wheelbarrow of top prizes for his potatoes, beans, shallots and carrots.
There was enough leek in John Silverthorne's three huge specimens to feed the whole town and Hayden Grove demonstrated once again that he is a man who really knows his onions.
Pears, apples and currants featured prominently in the fruit classes, with Dave Beynon and Les Howland taking home the money for their very edible looking entries.
There are a lot of good cooks in Clevedon and district and most of them seemed keen to show off their culinary skills.
Jams and pickles from Hilary Tinkling and Joan Davison, blackberry-and-apple crumble and bread rolls from Sadye Bosley and Sarah Adams and rock cakes and vegetarian flan from Rachel Sainty and Marilyn Daniels were just a few of the goodies which the judges found irresistible.
In the children's classes, budding gardener Daniel Filer produced a beautifully manicured and very colourful miniature garden full of deck-chairs in the under-fives section; Denby Bosley turned out an amazing model vehicle made of junk and number-plated Dad11 in the five-to-eight-year-old group, while his older sister Lydney, representing the nine-11 year-olds, was very creative with her flower head with petals made from recycled newspaper. Budding domestic goddess Jessica Melksham deservedly took first prize in the 12-16 age group for her Victoria sponge.
Photographers and artists had a field day, with a huge number of entries capturing just about every subject under the sun, from pet animals and wildlife to favourite views, flowers and people. Jackie Sansun's prize-winning black-and-white photograph of a lady in top coat and woolly hat peering down at a plaque on the pier was particularly evocative, while Mark Crocker's sunset across a snow-touched landscape was full of mood and atmosphere.
Visitors browsed among dozens of trade stalls in the field and marquee and the tea room, under the expert management of Geraldine Alden, did a roaring trade.
Musical entertainment included the New Society Jazz band, Abbas's Angels and Neil Diamond vocal impressionists Mike Douglas and Danny Owen.
Show president Carole Wring commented: "Once again, it was a fabulous show and I would like to thank everyone who supported the event, from the hard-working organisers and exhibitors to the traders, entertainers and people who came through the turnstiles."
A SPECIAL THANK-YOU TO FLOWER SHOW SUPPORTERS
Also a thank-you to Jane Newton and her team for organising the dog show, David Pedder for the classic cars and our local police officers for their help, advice and support with our marching band.
But most of all thanks to the members of the public who this year still supported us – without you this show would not be possible. To each and every one of you, a very special thank you.
We look forward to seeing you all next year.
Mike Law.
Chairman Clevedon Flower Show & Festival