A quintessentially British flower show like the one at Pett on Sunday, July 30 takes me back to my holidays in Wales. Villages like this have an unmistakable charm, a subtle magic, woven from the rural atmosphere, the earthiness and the fragrance of flowers, plants and fruits and the community spirit. Mahatma Ghandi reminded us that “To forget how to dig the earth and to tend the soil is to forget ourselves.” There is so much to take part in for adults and children. We always travelled with another family and the memories of sticking and gluing and growing things lingers on. The show was all about celebrating the delight of the competitive community spirit.
Famous events like Chelsea developed from local events like Pett Flower Show, but this smaller, original format has lost none of its charm for those vying for first place in all the categories.
Yesterday, there was music from the Sussex Brass Band. This is a friendly local band which has a professional sound. They play at many functions in the south east and are very popular. There was a Pimm’s tent: no flower show in the summer is complete without a Pimm’s tent.
Added to these were a produce stall, putting, coconut shy, a children’s fun corner, a dog show, donkeys to pet from Freshwinds camping holidays and a grand raffle. There were other stalls selling hand-made crafts and someone making lace, an art quite forgotten in our busy lives today. But the stars of the show were the displays of fruit and vegetables, flower arrangements and crafts with the winning tickets heralding first, second and runners up in each category. The standard was very high.
Image Credits: Kt bruce .