Well, after all the worries about daffodils being over before the show with spring having arrived early, the display tables were full! In fact, it was probably the biggest spring show for several years.  Certainly our Flower, Fruit and Veg judge, William Hurton, commented on both the number and quality of the exhibits.  What was also noteworthy was that there were nine separate trophy winners--it is so good to see the silverware being spread around.

All daffodil classes had several entries:  trumpet, large cup, small cup, white, bi-coloured, miniature, double and a collection of five blooms.  The judge could be observed carefully examining each vase, making sure he could see every angle of each flower.  Finally, Hilary Wilkins was awarded the Robert Gorham Cup for best exhibit whilst Lindy Bates won the Society's Cup for most points.

The next section was filled with a wonderful Spring Miscellany:  tulips; house-plants; camelia; pansy and hellebore heads; vases of mixed spring flowers; flowering shrub stems and evergreen stems.  Amongst all of theses was a vase of beautiful tulips grown by the Ivy Court Gardening Group at EC30 and these three blooms were awarded the Howard Smith Cup for best exhibit.  Jane Wells took the Martin Cup for most points with individual wins in many classes.

Moving over the the Cookery benches, there was a mix of preserves, decorated cakes and biscuits, savoury scones and other mouth-watering offerings.  Although there weren't so many entries in each class, the standard was high and Jan Page well deserved the Durrant Cup after cooking non-stop for a couple of days.

The Flower Arrangers had fun designing A Woodland Walk, Dancing Daffodils, Shades of Blue and A Frosty Morning.  There is a move now to try and avoid using oasis blocks--instead returning to using wire netting or moss, pin holders, or simply a container with water.  All of these methods could be observed and indeed, one class in every show now must definitely not use oasis.  Francien Foster combined her dancing daffodils with splashes of blue iris which was very eye catching.  Bruna Christoff built her  Woodland Walk around a log creating a very naturalistic look which won her the Society's Rose Bowl for the best large exhibit.  Francien also did well in the miniature class and her Shades of Blue was awarded the Pat Billington Cup ofr best small exhibit.

Pinned to the display boards at the front of the hall  were nineteen entries in the two Photography Classes: Weather and Farming.  These titles allowed for a wide interpretation and there were many different subjects caught on camera.  Farming featured:  pigs; a human scarecrow; a family gathered after bringing in the hay; farm buildings and cows.  The first place was deservedly given to Jill Barsley's wind farm.  Weather elicited: hail stones; frosted roses; cloudy skies; a sunny beach and a sunset.  It was, however, Jen Wilton's foxglove, captured amongst ferns and covered in raindrops that caught the judge's eye and was awarded the Spring Photography Cup.  

Finally, it was lovely to see the children's entries.  Some beautifully decorated eggs, a tray of seedlings and a delicious looking decorated cupcake.  Oscar Sperling was awarded the Children's Spring Cup.  Members might eant to note that any under-11s within their families are welcome to enter the shows - free of charge too!  It's a great way to start encouraging a bit of growing and various nature-related handicrafts.

Of course, a Show doesn't get put on without a lot of input by many people, both before, during the show and afterwards.  So very many thanks must go to all of them: committee members and society members.