Ruishton Village Day Flower Show 17th July 2010
Smocks and Straw hats and smiles were the order of the day.
After the high winds and heavy rain of the previous two days the sun came out on Saturday and smiled on record crowds at the 28th annual Ruishton Village Day and Flower Show. “Willy Qualify” the winning scarecrow, created by Rita McClure in the previous week’s World Cup themed competition, came down to the Village Hall to oversee the day and to keep an eye on the crops from the “Potato in a Bucket” class where the winning entrant, Paul Baker, produced a crop of just under two kilograms from the one potato planted in a bucket.
The wet weather of the preceding week following the long dry spell did not prevent villagers entering high quality produce in the vegetable, fruit and flower classes and maintaining the tradition of keen competition. Mrs Sandra Rodgers secured the Ruishton Challenge Cup for the highest number of points in the Vegetable and Flower sections and also the Ruishton Vegetable Plate for amassing the most points in the vegetable section. Mrs Hazel Greenslade was awarded the Marshall Cup as runner up in the Vegetable and Flower sections.
The weather which had kept people in doors was a factor in a high number of quality entries in the Cookery section with an impressive number of cakes, jams and savoury pastries entered. Hazel Greenslade displayed her all-round talents by taking the R & J Cave Cup as the overall points winner with the Walker Cup going to Mavis Skeggs as section runner up. There was fierce but friendly competition in the Victoria Sandwich class for men only which drew record entries with the cup being awarded to Gordon Rodgers.
Wine and Drinks was another section that drew some very keen competition. The hedgerows of last autumn must have been particularly bountiful judging by the increasing number of entries of Fruit Liqueurs and Sloe Gins. The Breeze Cup was won by Roy Bulgin as the overall points winner of the section.
Titles of Musicals were the theme of this year’s Floral Art and Linda Claydon took the Maudie Hayward Trophy as the points winner in the section. While Samantha Dash was a first time winner of the Herbert Blaney Cup for the miniature floral arrangement.
Hilda Marsden displayed a wide range of skills in securing the Arthur Jelks Tray as the overall points winner of the Handicraft section as well as winning cups for embroidery and hanging basket.
There were record numbers in many of the Children’s sections with particularly inventive and imaginative Lego models, paintings, posters, decorated pebbles and eggs, monsters, bookmarks and some very thought provoking original poems.
The cups were presented by the Chairman of the Flower Show, Mike Marshall, who said that he was pleased to see entries from villagers who had not previously entered the show and that this was a positive sign for the future of this annual event.
Mike Marshall Chairman Ruishton Flower Show Committee