The Malvern Showground
Worcestershire
WR13 6NW UK
Tel: 01684 584900

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Autumn Show Is An End Of Year Success

Long-awaited summer temperatures, bumper competition entries and superb quality exhibits, saw 63,000 people flock to the Malvern Showground this weekend to enjoy a feast of flowers, fruit and vegetables, cookery, crafts, animals, entertainment and shopping.

Event organiser, the Three Counties Agricultural Society, said it was delighted that the youngest of its three main Shows, which has grown its visitor numbers by a staggering 23,000 in the last decade, continues to draw new visitors from all over the country.

In spite of the recent economic troubles, the mood was positive, and traders reported healthy sales.

Highlight of this year’s event was undoubtedly The Good Life Pavilion, housing eight edible gardens, the Festival of Perry, Morris Innes’ Story of the Potato and a wonderful Cookery Theatre garden stage, designed by Claire Potter of Sussex.

75% of the planting in the Autumn Show gardens is edible, and this year’s collection included a contemporary chicken-friendly plot by Gloucestershire’s Chris Greenwood in association with Clark’s Trees, a beautifully planted, informal herb garden by Paula Taylor of Wolverhampton and a natural pantry by Andy Tudbury of Nottinghamshire.

A wheelchair friendly garden, From Table to Table, by Helen Williams and Caroline Lennon, whose business is based in Herefordshire, was awarded a prestigious Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Silver Gilt medal, as was The Bradstone Equinox Garden, designed by Chris Beardshaw Mentoring Scholarship 2009 winner, Paul Hervey Brookes, which also secured ‘Best In Show’.

A unique Travellers’ Garden, created by children involved with Worcestershire County Council’s Malvern and Upton Inclusion Project, earned special recognition from the RHS, and a Beatrix Potter garden designed by Worcestershire’s Great Malvern Primary School, won an RHS Bronze medal.

The RHS Flower Show was resplendent in colour and creativity again this year, and ‘Best In Show’ was Medwyn Williams of Anglesey, for his much admired vegetable display.

The Festival of Perry, with its tutored tastings and informative displays was a success, and Festival co-ordinators managed to amass a display of 82 varieties of perry pear all in one place - an achievement which the Society hopes Guinness World Records will consider in the very near future!

The Bramley Apple Campaign was at the Show to celebrate 200 years of the Bramley Apple, which was first sown in 1809.

Winner of the ‘Bramley Mix Fruit Juice’ class was Hayles Fruit Farm of Winchcombe, Gloucestershire, and Richard Elgie of Hilter Fruit Farm at Newent, won the ‘Bramley Box’ class. Overall Champion in the Apples, Pears & Fruit Juice section was Colin Broomfield of Broomfields, Holt Heath, in Worcestershire.

The Giant Vegetable classes in the Harvest Pavilion attracted entries from around the country; Wales, Nottinghamshire, Wiltshire, Shropshire, the West Midlands and of course, locally.

Mr. R. Keithling won the Heaviest Pumpkin or Squash class with a monster vegetable weighing in at 269.2 kg!

Celebrity guests this year were BBC Gardeners’ World presenter, Joe Swift - who talked about his allotment and showed off his culinary skills on stage with Italian chef Felice Tocchini - and award-winning garden designer, writer and broadcaster, Chris Beardshaw, whose talks packed the theatre on Sunday!

For more Malvern Autumn Show results, please our Competition Results page.

For more information please contact:

Sharon Gilbert – Press & PR Manager
Three Counties Agricultural Society
Telephone: 01684 584929 (direct dial)
E-mail: sharon@threecounties.co.uk

Show Web Site and Box Office: www.threecounties.co.uk/malvernautumn
Ticket Hotline: +44 (0) 1684 584 900/924

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Released: 30/09/2009