Page 54 - Simply Veg 4 2022

NVS Lancashire DA
Chorley St James
So many people complimented the stand, asked lots of questions, took loads of photos. We had visits from Stephen Lowe, BBC Radio Lancashire; Lancashire Life Magazine and The Rt Hon Sir Lindsay Hoyle, MP.
The chickpea and cucamelon plants and fruit were particularly popular with visitors and a real conversation starter, as well as David Metcalfe’s spectacular onions and leeks. (Display won gold)
Several Members received cards
for their entries in the show – flowers, onion, shallots, rhubarb. And some family competitiveness with Andrew and Carol Moakes. Carol beating her husband with some beautiful gladioli.
The DA talks are now all booked, starting in October 2022 and running through to April 2023. All talks commence at 7.30pm and are held at Ribchester Sports & Social Club, Church St, Ribchester, PR3 3YE. Entry is free but a donation is welcome. There’s a raffle, so we ask that attendees please bring a prize if they can. All proceeds go to DA running costs.
Coming up we have:
• 13October22-ChrisNightingale-
Flowers for Exhibition & Home. Chris will show us the props he uses to grow his blooms and demonstrate the way he arranges them in his vases. He will then sell off to us.
• 10November22-JohnSmiles- Vegetables Strictly for Kitchen. John will give us an illustrated talk to show us how to grow veg for the pot, not for the show bench. A humorous talk is guaranteed.
• 8December22–AGM+Paul Henshaw – Round up of The Shows.
The weather has gone from one extreme to another – intense heat and dryness, to throwing it down over the last few days. Much needed for the outside plants and keeping the glasshouses
and polytunnels cooler. It reached 58 in the glasshouse – windows wide open, fans on, floor wet – during the 2 day heatwave. Keeping on top of watering was a real challenge as I’m sure it was for everyone.
In mid July I was invited back by Deputy Head, Andrew Clark to judge the inter- schools flower show held at Chorley St James’ CofE Primary Schools. The schools had put on a fantastic display of flowers, veg, fruit, herbs and artwork. It was very difficult to judge the artwork as there was so much, so I split it into several smaller
categories. The gardening club children were as enthusiastic as ever and each class came out to see all the exhibits. I even
had a school dinner for the first time in too many years to remember. It was delicious. Thank you, Chorley St James’ and Mr Clark, for putting on a cracking event.
The DA put on a display at Chorley Flower Show 29-31 July in the grounds of Astley Park. It was great to be back after a 3-year gap, catch up with friends, regular visitors and the other exhibitors. My thanks to everyone who brought produce, helped set up, stage, staffed the display on show days and broke it all down. A real team effort and great to have some new people helping out, some of whom had never done anything like it before. Everyone got stuck in and we won GOLD.
Mick Cooper and Dahlias
Sir Lindsay Hoyle
Trisha Cooper and Rhubarb
54 Simply Vegetables