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The GFGS Stand at the Malvern Autumn Show 2014

At about 2 pm on Thursday 25th September 2014 along with Stuart Rowe and Tom Price we started to put together the GFGS Stand. With the frame for the GFGS Banner erected, the banner in place and three tables covered in black material, it was then time to bring in a few of the other props! We had offered to host the Autumn Show Schools Trug Competition and so left the remaining two tables uncovered.

At about 2 pm on Friday 26th I returned to Malvern and with the help of Alan Cursue began to arrange the information boards and baskets of plants on the three tables covered in black material the day before. More worrying was that we had been left the contents for three trugs by schools that had arrived earlier in the day, but still no sign of any trugs! We then covered the remaining two tables and I waited until 6 pm, still no trugs so called it a day.

I arrived bright and early on Saturday 27th thinking it might be as I had left it the night before with two empty tables!

But no there would be four trugs on the stand, these nicely fitted on the two front tables allowing room for them to be easily viewed by the visiting public as we intended to get the public to vote for their favourite trug, the ‘Peoples Choice’, a bit like the Chelsea Show but on a smaller scale!

Trug 1

Trug 2

Trug 3

Trug 4

The schools taking part were:

Bromesberrow St. Mary’s CofE Primary School, Bromesberrow, Herefordshire.
Caslon Primary Community School, Halesowen, West Midlands.
Cradley CofE Primary School, Cradley, Herefordshire.
St. Richard’s CofE First School, Evesham, Worcestershire.

During the day the stand was visited by a number of people including William from Caslon Primary Community School who was responsible for growing some of the items in their trug, William is a keen vegetable grower, he enters his local shows and has had some ‘Firsts’ in open classes! A future champion I’m sure.

William with Trug 3

We were also pleased the stand was visited by Dame Janet Trotter, DBE, DL, the Lord Lieutenant of Gloucestershire, and from the Three Counties Agricultural Society, Mr Michael Weaver, Vice-President for Gloucestershire and his wife Sarah and Mr Patrick Downes, County Director Designate for Gloucestershire and his wife Gill. They were all very interested in the work the Federation was trying to do to encourage gardening in schools.

Once again I arrived even earlier on Sunday 28th so I could get my vehicle as close as possible to the Stand, but didn’t quite get it into the marquee! During the day we were visited by Sue a member of staff at St. Richard’s CofE First School and Theo and Reuben from Cradley CofE Primary School who were responsible for growing some of the items in their schools trug.

Theo & Reuben with Trug 1

The trugs had been Judged by members of the Federations Guild of Judges and voting for the ‘Peoples Choice’ closed at 12 midday, it was now time to put out the prize cards etc., and the results were as follows:

1st Caslon Primary Community School.
2nd St. Richard’s CofE First School.
3rd Cradley CofE Primary School.
Commended - Bromesberrow St. Mary’s CofE Primary School.

Caslon Primary Community School
Trug 3

St Richards CofE First School
Trug 2

Cradley CofE Primary School
Trug 3

Bromesberrow St Marys CofE Primary School
Trug 4

And the ‘Peoples Choice’ was St. Richard’s CofE First School - Comment when voting for this trug was that it looked ‘Autumnal’.

St Richards CofE First School
Trug 2

At 4 pm we started to take the stand down, strange how these things come down quicker than they go up!

We were very pleased with the positive feedback from visitors to the stand, although we did have to explain that the eggs in the trug from Bromesberrow were not laid by the students but by Lucy and Rosie the school chickens!

And finally, our congratulations to all students who took part and my thanks to all involved in supplying exhibits, setting up, stewarding, getting the public to vote and taking it all down at the end.

Rod Wells.

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You can also see pictures from earlier shows: