Page 50 - ALG Issue 1 2020

Yorkshire
Yorkshire and parts of Humberside
Harrogate
& District Allotment Federation receives trophy at Harrogate in Bloom Awards Ceremony
Angela Dicken, Secretary, Harrogate & District Allotment Federation
At the annual Harrogate in Bloom Awards Ceremony in October, the Harrogate & District Allotment Federation were awarded the Crowther Trophy in recognition of their support for Harrogate in Bloom’s entry in the 2019 Britain in Bloom Competition. Harrogate once again achieved a Gold Award in the Small City category.
In the judges’ report, they commented: “There are five self-managed allotment sites in
the town, all with waiting lists. At the well- kept Harlow Hill allotments, the judges met enthusiastic allotment holders, admired a wide variety of well-grown produce and learned
of the long-running Annual Show and their excellent fundraising for local charities.”
The allotment community is vibrant in the Harrogate District. August 2020 will see the 60th Annual Show for the Allotment Federation. The Show, which is held in the Valley Gardens in Harrogate, provides an opportunity for plotholders from all the allotments in the Harrogate District to come together to exhibit their finest produce and celebrate their gardening successes. The profits from every show have been donated to local charities to support their horticultural activities. The 2020 charity will be Ripon Museums Trust. For the last two years, leftover fruit and vegetables from the show have been given to ‘Harrogate Waste Not, Want Not’ which provides meals for the Harrogate Homeless Project and for others who are struggling to make ends meet. In addition to the Harrogate Allotment Show, there are also shows in Ripon and Knaresborough, and most of the sites hold their own fundraising events in support of local charities.
Rotherham Show
Phil Gomersall
This lovely show had its roots as a traditional horticultural show but
now it is much wider, with all sorts of attractions. There still remains a large marquee however, as a dedicated horticultural tent.
The Rotherham Alliance once again invited me to put up an NAS stand next to theirs which I duly agreed to. I put
up the stand on the Friday. Mike Farrell from the Alliance once again gave me and my wife an invitation to join the Civic Party as distinguished guests. So, on the Saturday, I got all dolled up in my best jacket and my Presidential bling, so as not to feel out of place at the Civic Party. My and what a Civic Party it was; I felt extremely honoured to be there. Also present were the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayor of Sheffield, Mayor and
Mayoress of Rotherham, Master Cutler and his wife from Sheffield and many more guests, all with chains of office. We had an escorted tour around this wonderful show which covers a whole park and has entirely free entry to the public!
Walking around the children’s area I was really taken by what was called ‘The Allotment’ and aimed at younger children. It comprised all types of fruit and veg; each had wobbly eyes added and, when of appropriate size and shape, dressed in nappies and with dummies. These were positioned in vintage prams, highchairs, cots and laid on cushions. There were feeding bottles so the children could pretend to cuddle and feed them. I was very taken with this idea as being an extremely novel way of introducing very young children to fruit and vegetables and bringing familiarisation.
The rest of the time on Saturday and Sunday was spent promoting our great organisation and answering queries. This was yet another wonderful event; thank you Rotherham Alliance and Rotherham Council for a great time and a great show.
‘The Allotment’
The singing chefs, Phil Gomersall and Mike Farrell
International connections
50 Allotment and Leisure Gardener