Westbury on Trym welcomed the start of autumn on September 2 with the Annual Village Show. The Village Hall was bright with displays of fruit, vegetables, cooking, handicrafts, sewing, art, photography and flower arranging. All ages were represented and the entries were a testament to the talents of local people (although entrants did not need to live in Westbury).
Proceedings were opened by Darren Jones MP who spoke about the importance of events such as the show in the life of the community.
This year’s theme was ‘Harvest’ so some of the classes reflected this topic. The judges had an onerous task as there were so many impressive entries from which to choose. Ro York won the ‘Best in Show’ trophy, which was chosen by Darren, for a flower arrangement in the class which stipulated that the arrangement had to incorporate a kitchen utensil.
This year, a new award was introduced, sponsored by the Henleaze Flower Club in memory of a former member, Patricia Smith. It was entitled ‘Children Having Fun with Flowers’ and this year reflected the theme ‘Harvest’. There were seven entrants and the winner was Polyanna Rammell. She was the epitome of the saying ‘You have to be in it to win it’ as she wiped the board in the children’s categories, winning seven first prizes!
The lovely weather added to the atmosphere of the occasion. The garden buzzed with chatter as visitors perused the stalls, enjoyed the food and met up with friends and neighbours. Music from the Marshfield Brass Band was, as always, a highlight of the day.
The trophies were presented by Alison Bromilow, Vice Chair at Family Food Action, who were invited be the show’s nominated charity this year. The organisation had a stall and provided a team of helpers in the kitchen. Alison wrote: ’We were able to talk to lots of Show visitors and several of them have since been to the Ardagh to discuss volunteering with us. We have also had an approach from the Westbury on Trym Allotments and Garden Association about donating surplus produce, so it was a wonderful opportunity for us to meet a new audience. We hope that some of the people that were interested in setting up street collection will be able to find local support too’. It would be an amazing legacy of the show if any of the promised support came to fruition!’
The show committee is grateful to all the businesses and organisations in the community who supported the event by placing advertisements in the schedule or who donated prizes for the raffle. Profits raised will be donated towards the upkeep of the Village Hall.
Next year’s show will be on Saturday September 7.
Carole Thorpe