Staverton Village Hall (Northants)

Flower and Produce Show

26th August 2017

Waking up with that nagging feeling of panic on the morning of the Flower and Produce Show should be a thing of the past after the last two years, but I never learn. Of course villagers will roll in with their prize horticultural efforts and handmade food and craft work. Why do I always doubt it?

Other village halls have a pre booking format so organisers can sleep easy the night before knowing just how many tomatoes to expect and how many cabbages are being dug up that night. We decided that ruled out the rose that suddenly, with an unexpected burst of sunshine, flourishes and is just right on the morning. And the pre booking system must fail if a host of cabbage whites suddenly descend on your crop or a thunder storm flattens your sweet peas. No! On the whole we on the Staverton Village Hall Comitee prefer the nail biting ' will anyone turn up?' approach and this year was as successful as the last. Phew!!!!!

We had had a lot of rain and this undoubtedly affects herbaceous plants but we had a record turn out of roses and their fragrance in the Hall was intoxicating. We had a lovely selection of jam and another discussion about jams and jellies. And what distinguishes them from each other. (We MUST explain that next year to the jammers amongst you).

The vegetables were tied and presented beautifully. The craft tables displayed,yet again,what artistic talent there is lurking beneath the surface of this village and the children's work was lively and reassured me that little ones still like making things and aren't all glued to a screen exercising their thumbs!

Two o'clock saw the arrival of the appreciative crowd who, full of tea and scones and jam(or was it jelly?) and cream sat back to cheer on the winners of the silver ware and to listen to Tony Glover as he presented Roly Webb with the French Government's Croix d'Honneur medal, presented to the few remaining British soldiers who landed in France on D-Day and helped with the liberation of France. Roly very kindly went on to present all the prize winners with their cups and plates.

I know I've said this many times and am probably sounding like a cracked record but it was such a lovely village occasion and one that makes those evening meetings in a cold Village Hall on a dark winter night worthwhile.

Thank you to everyone who makes it possible by growing and cooking and knitting and sewing. Thank you to our judges Patricia Wakeford, Alison Jaques, Carol Pleace and Sally Pearson, and thank you to all the Committee for helping to resurrect, so successfully, this wonderful celebration of summer and village life.

Get those seed catalogues out this winter as you huddle by the fire and plan for next August!

Isy Shackleton
Chair, Village Hall Committee

August 2017

This year's cup winners were:

Best Fruit & Veg display - Anita Hill

Best Floral display - Jacqui Wilks

Best specimen rose - Nick Godden

Best baking entry - Gary Lowe

Best Preserve - Nick Allen

Best Creative entry - Lorraine Baughan

Best Artwork - David Wilks

Best children's exhibit - Dorothy Wilks

Chairman's choice - Chrissie Howkins