Solent Fuchsia Club,
Annual Show 2009 Summary
This was our sixth Annual Fuchsia Show held at the Community Hall in Titchfield, Hampshire.
Every year since becoming Show Secretary of Solent Fuchsia Club in 1980, I have constantly asked myself the same question whilst waiting for the members to deliver their entries for the event that is due to be held within the next few days; Will there be sufficient exhibits to put on a decent Show? I’m sure many other Show Secretaries have asked themselves exactly the same question. I must admit that during the time I have held the position of Show Secretary, this particular reservation has been completely unfounded because the members have never ever once let the Club down. For instance, this year not only did they supply an adequate number of exhibits but they were also of top quality. It is an astonishing coincidence that for the past three years we have had a similar number of entries. There were 173 exhibits in 2007, 173 in 2008 and this year there were 172.
It was also very satisfying to see an increase in the number of first time exhibitors who decided to submit their plants in this year’s Fuchsia Show. If this is anything to go by, then hopefully it is an indication that the Club will be able to continue holding their annual event for many years to come. A table with all the results from the 2009 show can be found here.
The Show was supported over the two day period by a substantial number of knowledgeable visitors and judging by the comments in the Visitor’s Book, they were impressed not only by the overall outlay but also by the quality of the plants.
It seems that no Fuchsia Show is complete without refreshments. These were supplied throughout the two day event by an able group of volunteers who conscientiously supplied copious quantities of tea, coffee, cakes and scones etc.
The refreshment area is surely the ideal venue to sit and discuss not only fuchsias but also other topics of general interest with a few friends you haven’t seen for quite a while.
A few words of appreciation to all the volunteers who gave ample assistance, not only to prepare and help run the Show, but also to those who helped clear the hall and leave it in pristine condition when it had finished.
It was the well known proverb; ‘Many hands make light work’, that enabled us to return the show equipment to its respective storage location in record time. I won’t attempt to mention names but hopefully they will know who I’m talking about. It is very gratifying to know there are individuals within the membership of the Club who are prepared to give up their time and contribute so much effort for such a worthwhile cause.
My personal thanks to each and everyone.
Our Show judge for 2009 was Derek Luther and these are his comments:
"After arriving late I hope I did justice to the exhibitors who provided some lovely exhibits. In the main, exhibitors adhered to the rules and provided clean plants. My only criticism is that in my opinion, the basket class would be better for judging purposes if left on the floor until after judging."
"Everyone was friendly as I would expect from fuchsia folk who also provided fine refreshments. Thanks for inviting me."
Sid Ellis, Show Secretary
S.F.C. Annual Show
Special Award Winners
Our sincere congratulations to Peter Lewis for winning the ‘Best Exhibit In Show’ and ‘Runner Up To Best Exhibit In Show’ titles.
Our Chairperson Mary Knight gained the prestigious award of ‘Most Points In Show’.
It is interesting to note that Bryan Stevens, one of our established Vice Presidents, has been exhibiting fuchsias at our Annual Shows for twenty eight consecutive years, and very successfully too.
Solent Fuchsia Club
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