THIS year's Brighstone and District Horticultural Society Summer Show was a bumper year, attracting nearly 600 entries — up 50 per cent on the 2023 show, say delighted organisers.
Organisers went on to express their amazement of not only the number of entries the show attracted, but the quality of them, given the "extremely challenging spring and early summer growing conditions".
There were plenty of visitors to this year's show, held at the Wilberforce Hall and Scout Hut in Brighstone, on Saturday (July 20).
In the vegetable classes, it was a clean sweep of trophy wins for James Kingswell, with his haul including the Waytescourt Cup, for most points in show, and the RHS Banksian Medal, for most points in the horticultural classes.
In terms of the other categories, the judges were "extremely impressed" by the quality and quantity of entries and, for the fifth successive show, the Best in Show award was for a handicraft entry — presented to Cathy Beach, for her double-sided quilt, which was described as "exquisite".
The Society Challenge classes were well supported, with 19 "brave" entrants willing to share their very varied results of growing a pot dahlia from seed, as well as 17 eye-catching entries for a floral arrangement in a sundae dish.
Show organisers described the Summer Show as a success — but there was some concern in the lead up to it that entry numbers could even have been down on last year, rather than the final total of almost 200 up.
"On the Monday before the show, we'd received so few horticultural entries, we were starting to regret our decision to hire a marquee to supplement the space we had available," said organisers.
"But by mid-week, that decision proved to be a good one, however, when the entry forms poured in as entrants were finally able to establish what the weather gods would allow them to enter."
"Just as well we hired the marquee!'
ALL THE CUP WINNERS
Committee Cup (Best in Show) — Cathy Beach; Waytescourt Cup (most points in show) — James Kingswell; RHS Banksian Medal (most points in horticultural classes) — James Kingswell; all other vegetable trophies — James Kingswell; Rachel Cup (most points in fruit classes) — Gretel Stanley; Hollis Jubilee Cup (best vase of flowers or flowering shrub) — Liz Prior; Harry Cole Memorial Trophy (most points in in flower classes) — Darren Everest; Cooke Cup (most points in pot plant classes) — Sue Wilson and Jan Larter (joint award); Village Society Shield — Jan Larter; D A Marshall Cup (best exhibit in floral art classes) — Jan Larter; Cookery Cup (most points in cookery classes) — Margaret McLaughlin; Adam Peckham Cup (best exhibit in handicraft) — Cathy Beach; Williamson Cup (most points in handicraft) — Helen Cox and Ruth Godber (joint award); Rector's Trophy (best exhibit in photography) — Steve Newberry; Wine Cup (best exhibit) — Mike Roberts; Beagle Memorial Wine Cup (most points in wine classes) — Mike Roberts; Frank Manison Cup (most points in children's classes) — Freddie Kemp.
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