Page 29 - Simply Veg 4 2022

Snapshot of
a Vegetable
Grower
During the Southern Championships, visitor Steve Reeves asked if he could interview some of the winners and take their photos. Steve is a documentary and street photographer based in London. He likes to interview the people he photographs and learn their stories. He has kindly allowed us to publish his work from his time spent at our show. You might be surprised at what he found out.
Steve has a fascinating website www.stevereevesphotographer.com.
He can be contacted on s.reeves@mac.com or +44 07788420593.
Alison Clarke Show Secretary
Alan and Margaret
At 16, Alan had a job as a mechanic at a local engineering company in Totnes in Devon.
But not long after, he had to go off and do his National service in Northern Ireland.
When he returned, he started his old job again, and noticed that a new short-hand- typist had joined the company.
Her name was Margaret.
After work, they got the same bus home as Alan lived in the next village along the route from Margaret.
Eventually, they got chatting. Margaret liked the fact that Alan was so pleasant and quiet. The other boys she knew were too loud, but Alan had a very gentle manner. Alan told me that Margaret was lovely to talk to and that he would look forward to their bus ride together after work.
The couple have been married for 58 years and have 2 grown-up daughters. They used to grow potatoes but recently moved
Nigel and Barbara
into growing tomatoes and carrots, and it was their tomatoes that won a prize at the county show.
Margaret told me. “There’s nothing dramatic about our lives. We are just ordinary people, just gently going along.”
Bob Brown
Bob’s carrots won 1st prize at the County Show.
He didn’t actually grow them though. Bob has Muscular Dystrophy and this has meant that he is no longer able to grow vegetables to competition standard.
This was still a proud moment for Bob because the carrots were grown from seeds that he gave to the winning competitor.
Back in the day, Bob grew prize-winning vegetables all the time and he has kept their seeds to pass on to other gardeners.
Bob once appeared on the BBC’s ‘The Great British Village Show.’ His runner-beans and pickling shallots made it into the final at Highgrove, where he met Prince Charles.
Bob told me that Prince Charles was very friendly and showed him around his garden. Bob said it was a lovely garden but a ‘bit wild’ for his liking. Bob also told me that he was really impressed with Camilla Parker Bowles. When she first walked past all the finalists at the show, she couldn’t get to Bob
to shake his hand. But she remembered and came back later to find Bob to say hello.
Like his father before him, Bob worked
for most of his life as a decorator. Bob had wanted to be in the trade since he was 11. He told me that he loved the job, and the best thing was going into a house that was, “As grotty as grotty,” doing his work and leaving it looking really good.
Bob still loves gardening. He’s had raised beds put into his garden so he can tend his plants from his scooter. He told me that his wife is also a big help. They met decades ago at a tug of war at the village fete and have been happily married ever since. They have a son and 3 grandkids, so it’s not just the seeds of Bob’s carrots that have gone on to achieve great things.
Nigel and Barbara
Nigel has always lived in the countryside and was a Pigman for many years.
Barbara was born in the city. When she was young, she got a Saturday job on a farm hoeing onions. She loved being in the countryside so much that she decided to attend agricultural college.
After college, she joined a local ‘Young Farmers’ and, on her first day, was shown around the social club by Nigel.
A few weeks later, Nigel was asked to captain a quiz team at the club and only agreed to do so only if, “The new girl with the nice legs is on my team.” That was nearly 60 years ago, and since then, the couple have had 3 children and three grandchildren.
When they retired, they took up growing prize vegetables and have won many rosettes over the years for their cabbages, cauliflowers, and carrots. It’s something that they love because it’s a pastime that, “we can both do together.”
Alan and Margaret
Bob Brown
Steve Reeves
Simply Vegetables 29