Page 36 - Simply Vegetables Winter 2024/25

Scottish Branch
MEMBERS 30000 TO 39999
Chairman’s Report
I closed my Chairman’s report for the last edition of Simply Vegetables with a reference to our Annual Seminar to be held in the Aytoun Hall in Auchterarder and much of my time these last few days has been spent dealing with the final details for that. By the time you read
this report, the Seminar will have come and gone and hopefully it will have been an enjoyable experience for everyone.
I know I’m looking forward to the talks and slideshows from possibly the most incredible group of growers we have ever had for the event at any one time.
It’s been an incredibly busy spell for
the Branch starting with our Branch Championships at Duthie Park Aberdeen on 31st August/1st September. We
went there at the invitation of The Royal Horticultural Society of Aberdeen (RHSA) to help them celebrate their Bicentennial. For a variety of reasons, the level of entries was down but the quality of the entries was exceptionally good especially given another difficult growing season.
Setting up the show was much easier this time around for our Show Manager - Ian Macphee and our Show Secretary - Neil Muirhead because the tables and benches were all set up and covered for
us in advance by RHSA. Thank you to all at RHSA for doing this for us and also for giving us all the space that we requested.
a wee chuckle. He was most impressed by the Blanch Leeks and Neil was able
to give him a short talk on growing them. Our Branch Chairman’s chain of office got an airing as I wore it for the first time and that may also have been the first time it has been worn in public. If anyone knows differently, please let me know.
Next year’s Branch Championship show is presently a work in progress.
Alongside everything else involved with the show came a surprise phone call from RHSA’s Chairman, a fortnight before the show, to tell me that RHSA’s Patron, King Charles was to visit the show and would probably want to have a chat with me in my capacity as Branch Chairman. I was told I had to keep all of that
secret and boy was that
difficult. It later transpired
that only a small number
of folk were to be allowed
to remain in the Show
Marquee during the King’s
visit and beside myself,
Fred Stewart FNVS, Neil
Muirhead FNVS and Jean
Thomson FNVS none of our members other than those who were also part of RHSA’s own Committee were there. On
the day of the Show we had the unique experience of having a sniffer dog exploring under and around the benches. Thank goodness no-one had the barrels of their leeks explode.
In the event, King Charles when he spoke to us was happy to chat and to have
Some of our members travelled down to Ardingly in the far south of England for the NVS National Championships towards the end of September and came back home once again having been very successful. Congratulations to all involved. Full details
elsewhere in this magazine.
Next year will be a biggie for us as we
host the Nationals this time around at Ayr. Our planning is at an advanced stage and hopefully everything will be finalised by the time this edition of Simply Vegetables is popped through your letterbox. Meanwhile, I wish you all a happy and healthy 2025.
Frank Taylor FNVS, Chairman
I was told I had to keep all of that secret and boy was that difficult
Scottish Branch – 200 Club
It’s that time at the start of the year when all Scottish Branch members will have received a 200 club form within this Winter edition magazine for 2025, but you do not have to be a Scottish Branch member (or even an NVS member) to join, so please encourage friends and family too.
A big thank you goes to Gareth Cameron FNVS for his time as our 200 club organiser and a big thank you to Bill Duff FNVS for having volunteered to take over from Gareth.
The cost for one 200 Club membership is £5 which covers the full 10 months of prize draws.
This works out at a cost of only 50p per month!
Thank you to all members who have submitted a Scottish Branch 200 club form, your support makes a big difference. The 2024 prize draws ran from March to Dec and in the table are
the latest draw results for 2024 at time of writing this report, congratulations.
The prize draw is taken at the end of each month, so make sure you send in your forms for 2025 or print an extra form or two from the web site where you can find a PDF copy in the “Resources” section of the NVS web site to enable you to print one out.
Alternatively please contact Bill Duff, 1B Smithy Road, Balmullo, St. Andrews, Fife KY16 0BG. Tel 01334 870787, or email duff.william@sky.com
Prize money is dependent on how many 200 Club members we have with half the revenue generated going towards the Scottish Branch funds and half going towards the 200 club prize money.
Thanks again for your support, it really makes a difference.
Month
First Prize
Second Prize
June
Nicola Simpson
Francesca McGory
July
Joe Proudlock
Claire Hodgson
August
Niall Currie
Alistair Gray
September
Judith Watson
Niall Currie
36 Simply Vegetables