Page 63 - Simply Vegetables Winter 2022/23

Welsh Section
IVOR MACE
It is a bit disappointing that the show season is over. Personally, I thoroughly enjoyed the shows this year. After the last few years of being confined to barracks, it was nice to get out and see people. I’ve made the most of it and attended 16 shows, and I must say its vegetables and vegetable exhibitors that have bounced back best since covid.
Our Branch Championships went ahead at the 3rd attempt at Wrexham. Wrexham has recently been made a city. The football team are on the up since 2 American owners have taken control, and our cham- pionships were great. The mayor wanted us to move to the market hall to get more footfall, so that’s what we did, and people who came to the shops had an eye opener. I was one of the judges, so I didn’t do much work, but others did. I would like to thank Arwyn Edwards our show secretary and his wife Gill. Craig Blunsdon who manned the show for overnight staging, Gareth Morris, Andrew Jones and Sue McCall who did most of the organising prior to the show. Gareth for organising sponsorship. Owain Roberts who sponsored the tables. It was great to see Mary Thomas our president. Also, anyone else I might have forgotten. It was great to see Don Owen and Uni. John Branham and Jill were there, and it was great to see them, and I ate all his plums and figs. It was also great to see Sherie & Fred Plumb who always support us. I really enjoyed the show. I was one of the judges, I hope I got it right. Our secretary David Thornton won the collection. Our treasurer Owain Roberts won the potato champion- ship, and our national president Medwyn Williams proved what he said to her majes- ty Queen Elizabeth was correct, everything in llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrob- wllllantysiliogogogoch is long, as he won both the parsnips and long beetroot.
We had some bad news this week. Tom Brown one of the former chairmen of
Welsh Branch Show
our branch. His wife Gaynor has passed away. They moved to Portugal many years ago and they are still there now. Our condolences go to Tom and his family.
The likely dates for our committee meetings at the Lamb & Flag at Rhyader are, March, June, October, and November 2023. These will be confirmed at our November committee meeting when we will fix the actual dates.
We have had good news from The Welsh Folk Museum at St Fagan’s nr Cardiff. They have confirmed that we can hold our 2023 Branch show there. The date will be 9th & 10th September 2023, in conjunction with their food festival. St Fagan’s for those people who are not familiar with it, is the Museum of Welsh life. Old buildings taken down and re-erected there from all over Wales. The museum stretches over 100 acres with over 40 buildings. A great place to bring children. It has free admission. Just a small car parking charge. There is a good range of hotels in the area, and less than 5 miles from Cardiff City centre.
We held a judge’s exam at Llanymynach North Wales, well we were actually 100 meters into England. It puzzles me, how did England get hold of Llanymynach, they’ve got a job to pronounce it. Anyway, we had 6 candidates, by the time this comes to print they will have had their results, but I’ll say nothing till everyone
has been informed themselves. However, you all did pretty well. Thanks goes to everyone who helped put the exam on. I’d also like to thank Jim Williams who chairs the examination panel for his continued hard work. I’d also like to congratulate and thank Raymond Higgins for running the examination in Ireland. Raymond deserves all the praise we can give him, as there are only two NVS judges in Ireland. Raymond being one of them. The continued success of the Ireland DA is down to Raymond
and the dedicated members who support him. Raymond is now vice chairman of the NVS. Raymond reminds me of a stick of Blackpool rock, with NVS going right through it.
Best Dish in Show, Owain Roberts Armour potatoes
Bill Jones’s Onions
David Thornton’s Collection
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