It’s hard to believe that we are heading towards the end of Autumn when less than three weeks ago we were enjoying weather hotter and more sunny than much of the Summer.
Our Autumn Show was held in gorgeous sunshine, a real contrast to the cold and wet of the Summer Show this year. We had over 200 exhibits filling the hall with Autumn colours and again, the judges were very complimentary of the standard of our show, so ‘well done’ to all exhibitors. We had over 60 attendees to the show, many familiar faces but it was also very good to see some new ones too. It is through the generosity of our members, neighbours, visitors and supporters that we are able to donate to a local charity every year; we were very pleased to be able to present Cobbes Meadow Riding for the Disabled with £500 at the end of the show. For those of you who like the stats, the full results of the show are shown below.
As with all village societies, the organisation falls on a small number of committee members who all enjoy contributing to the community. Some of our committee now have increasing commitments elsewhere and will no longer be able to devote so much time to our Gardeners’ Society. We are therefore asking for some more volunteers to join the committee to help spread the burden, especially with the ‘behind the scenes’ work that makes our Shows so successful. Our Society has been going since 1887 and we want it to keep going! If anyone is interested, please contact any committee member or email lhngs@outlook.com. Thank you.
Next year we will be encouraging members to pay their fees by direct bank transfer. We will, of course be happy to continue to collect cash from anyone not keen on changing. We will be emailing all members with the details in the next couple of months, so please look out for that (and check your junk folder!)
Well, the clocks may have gone back but don’t think you can curl up in front of the fire just yet, there is still plenty to keep you busy in the garden, so here are a few hints:
· Clean and repair all tools and equipment
· Clean our bird boxes ready for winter roosting and spring nesting
· Protect tender perennials with a layer of mulch and insulate vulnerable pot plants with fleece, bubble wrap etc. and raise them off the ground
· Rake leaves off lawns and use for leaf mould
· Plant bare rooted trees and roses when the soil isn’t frozen or too wet
· Plant tulips
Results for the Autumn Show
R Baker total points 58 (16 firsts; 4 seconds; 2 thirds), R Pickup 23 (3;5;4), E Woollven 23 (3;6;2), D Taylor 20 (3;2;7) L Cornelius 15 (2;3;3), A Bidwell 14 (4;1;0), C Blackman 14 (1;4;3), L Castle 14 (3;1;3), M Brown 13 (2;3;1), B Young 13 (3;1;2), R Woollven 12 (3;1;1), H Darkin 7 (1;2;0), D Potlog 6 (0;2;2), P Cox 5 (1;1;0), D Taghan 5 (0;2;1), R Marshall 4 (0;2;0), G Robin 4 (1;0;1), L Simmons 4 (1;0;1), J Cooper 3 (1;0;0), B Mumford 2 (0;1;0).
Trophy Winners 2023
Children’s Tokens | Most points in children’s classes | 1st prize – Eva Woollven 2nd prize – Ray Woollven | 6 pts 5 pts |
Autumn Show Cup | Most points in show | Richard Baker | 58 pts |
Class B Points Cup | Best Floral Art in show | Alanah Bidwell | |
Coveney Dahlia Cup | Best Dahlia in show | Richard Baker | |
Cookery Silver platter | Most points in show | Dot Taylor | 7 pts |
Lower Hardres Memorial Trophy | Child with most points in 2023 | Eva Woollven | 46 pts |
Jubilee Bowl | Most points in 2023 | R Baker & L Cornelius tied Awarded to R Baker on no. of1st places (21vs19) | 87 pts |
Cookery Cup | Most points in 2023 | Dot Taylor | 19 pts |