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The GFGS Stand at the Malvern Spring Show 2015

At about 2 pm on Tuesday 5th May 2015, having earlier picked up baskets of plants, I decided to travel across to the Three Counties Showground to start putting together the GFGS Stand for the RHS Malvern Spring Festival 2015 and check the location as the Specialist Plant Societies had been moved to a more central marquee on the showground.

With the help of my long suffering wife, Carole, we covered five tables in black material against a black background which was already in place, and called it a day.

At about 12 midday on Wednesday 6th May Tom Price and Stuart Rowe arrived at my house and after some lunch we travelled in convoy to Malvern with baskets of plants to finish staging the display. Baskets and/or plants had been provided by the following gardening clubs or societies.

Abbeydale Garden Club (basket provided by Hilary Drinkwater)
Black Pear Gardening Club (basket provided by Brian Skeys)
Cheltenham & District Orchid Society (5 baskets & 2 foliage plants provided by Tom Price)
Cheltenham & District Allotment Holders Association (basket provided by Rosemary Smith)
Cheltenham Horticultural Society (basket provided by David Richards)
Cotswold Fuchsia & Pelargonium Society (2 baskets provided by Robert Champion)
Hucclecote Horticultural Society (basket provided by Jan Broadway & Alan Cursue)

We arrived just after 1 pm and as we did the heavens opened. We made the decision not to let the heavy rain stop us and so unloading was done very quickly! All the baskets were strategically placed with the names of the Clubs that had supplied them and the display was finished off with our display boards at either end of the display with some well-placed GFGS promotional leaflets, posters and Club literature that I had been supplied with.

Along with my wife, I arrived bright and early on Thursday 7th May just to make sure everything was okay and steward the stand. During the day the stand was also stewarded by Tom & Rose Price, Barry & Alison Stagg and Stuart & Val Rowe.

I didn’t arrive so early on Friday 8th May as I had to work in the morning so arrived at about midday to do some more stewarding. During the day the stand was also stewarded Maggie Theakston, Jenny Grassom and Dennis Sutton.

On Saturday 9th May we arrived about 8 am, only to put out more literature and have a coffee before the crowds arrived! During the day the stand was stewarded by Martin & Marilyn Davis, Carole Jeffes & Dot Culverhouse and Brian & Irene Skeys.

On Sunday 10th May we again arrived about 8 am just to make sure everything was okay before the gates opened to the public at 9 am. During the day the stand was stewarded by Syd Reed, Francis Zygmunt and Tom & Rose Price, who also stayed on to help us pack up and assisted with the transportation of plants for which I’m most grateful. Tom had brought his handy hand cart with him and so we didn’t have to wait for the gates to be opened to vehicles at 6 pm, we had transported all plants, props etc., out to our vehicles and we were driving out of the car park at 5 pm! Once again Tom (and Rose) thanks.

My thanks to all those mentioned above, without their help and hard work we would not have produced a stand which was admired by many attending the show (even the judges, Third Prize!) The judges were also overheard saying what a very colourful stand it was, so a special thanks to those mentioned above that had made the baskets up on behalf of their clubs/societies. We also potentially gained a few new members for Affiliated Societies and had a number of enquiries about grants for school gardening clubs.

Rod Wells

You can also see pictures from earlier shows: