Gloucestershire Federation
of Gardening Societies
Newent Garden Club
Thirty Three Years of Gardening at Newent
Newent Garden Club was formed on 26th October, 1983. The Inaugural meeting was held at The Market House and chaired by Julian Dowle. 32 members of the public attended this meeting and an initial committee was formed comprising of David Davis - Chairman, Mike Davies - Vice Chairman, June Davies – Secretary, Bill Lampkin – Treasurer, Julian Dowle – Programme Secretary with Marian Moore and Richard Douch as Membership Secretaries.
In January 1984 the venue moved to the Community Centre, first to an upstairs meeting room and then, as numbers steadily rose, to the Main Hall. In January, 1990 the Club moved to the Memorial Hall to escape the dramatic increase in rent for the Community Centre. The facilities at the Memorial Hall are much superior with a purpose built kitchen and serving hatch for refreshments.
The aim of the club has always been to promote improvements in gardening, but the underlying theme is that gardening should be enjoyable. To this end the social side of the club is as important as the business. Past outings have included trips to Holland in 1986, the Liverpool Garden Festival in 1984 and the Stoke Garden Festival in 1986 followed by the Glasgow Festival in 1988. Members have also visited Warwick Castle, Lydney Park, Bowood House, Clacks Farm, Kew Gardens, Knightshayes Court in Devon, Derbyshire for the Well Dressing, Spetchley Park, The Rose Society HQ in St Albans and the RHS Gardens at Wisley and Rosemoor. We visit some local gardens during summer evenings but the trips further afield seem to have dwindled of late.
The Club is thriving, with duties shared by an active and hardworking committee. There have only been 2 Presidents in the history of the Club – Roy Brooks from 1985 to 1996 when Sarah Williams took over. Pearl Pryce replaced David Davis as Chairperson in 2001 when ill health forced him to relinquish the role. Now, in 2017, we say farewell to Pearl Pryce who, after 16 years of devoted service, has similarly had to stand down due to health problems. In January 2017 Angela Danby took over as Chairperson having been a committee member since 2001 and Programme Secretary from 2005. Guest speakers have covered all aspects of gardening and have included the television personalities Howard Drury, Frank Hardy and the late, great Arthur Billet. Local celebrities Chris Evans from Dundry Nurseries and Reg Moule have also been popular with members.
Guest speakers have covered all aspects of gardening and have included the television personalities Howard Drury, Frank Hardy and the late, great Arthur Billet. Local celebrities Chris Evans from Dundry Nurseries and Reg Moule from Hurrans Garden Centre are also popular with members as is Christine Kear, the flower arranger and Pippa Palmer the cookery expert.
Although members are not competitive, the Club arranges monthly competitions. These are well supported and cover fruit, vegetables, photography, floral art and craft. The Bill Lampkin Vegetable Trophy is awarded at the AGM each January for the most points scored for vegetables during the year. Similarly the Frank Gibson Flower Shield is awarded for points in the Floral Art competitions. There is a Members Cup for the most points scored overall.
Meetings are held on the third Thursday of each month commencing at 7.30 pm in the Memorial Hall in Newent. New Members are assured of a warm welcome as the Club has a reputation for friendliness. For further information ring the Secretary, Lin Knight on 01531 820901 or email newentgardeningclub@gmail.com