Page 56 - ALG Issue 4 2017

Eton Wick Allotment Association – Ninth Annual Horticultural Show.
On Saturday 2nd September, the Eton Wick Allotment Association (EWAA), near Windsor in Berkshire, held their annual horticultural show. The show offers allotment holders, residents of the village and surrounding areas the opportunity
to enter into a bit of friendly competition
by submitting their home-grown fruit and vegetables, home produce, including cakes, jams, preserves and home crafts, as well as junior classes for vegetables, animals, hobbies, art & greetings cards. Preparation for the show started early on Friday evening, when the local village hall was set up by a group of willing volunteers. Tables were laid out and labels for classes placed in accordance with RHS guidelines.
At 10am on Saturday morning, the doors were opened and people, along with their produce, came along to register and place their prized entries in their relevant classes. By 11.45 we had had over 45 people enter more than 150 different items into the show for our judges, who were selected for their unbiased and expert opinion, to peruse. Their task, dif cult as it was, was to pick 1st, 2nd
& 3rd place for each entry. Points were then totalled up and the person with the most points for that particular grouping (vegetables,
fruit, garden produce/cut owers, culinary & home crafts) would then be the winner of a EWAA shield, kindly donated by an allotment committee member either past or present, as well as a cup donated by the local mayor for “Best in Show”.
After an hour and a half of scrutineering by our judges, we opened the doors again to the public, who arrived in their droves to look at the entries and see who had won what, whilst enjoying a cup of tea and slice of home-made cake. This year we also had
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