Cheshire Beekeepers

at RHS Tatton-Park Flower Show

Wellies were essential footwear at Tatton flower show this year; plain, patterned or flowery was a matter of personal preference, but they were preferably accompanied by a sturdy umbrella which could be used as protection from the rain or as a walking aid while negotiating the mud! Even parking was a problem, not because of space, but in case anything that wasn’t a 4x4 needed a tow to get moving again!

The ground conditions certainly made setting-up hard work. Vehicles were severely restricted on site, and banned altogether in some areas, which meant everything had to be carried into the National Plant Marquee from a distance. The arrival of Frank Hilder and, crucially, his trolley was greeted with relief, and the trolley was subsequently sub-let to a couple of other stand holders. Our hardworking team consisted of Bob Parsonage, Sydney Hollinshead, Stuart and Pam Hatton and Frank Hilder. Frank set up the display stand, while Stuart was in charge of the plant display, and everyone else did what was necessary, throwing out comments and criticisms along the way. It was a team effort, as always, and by Tuesday morning everything was ready for the judges’ arrival at 3pm.

The stand was awarded a silver medal, the same as last year, and though this was an achievement in itself, there was also slight disappointment, as we had put in so much more work and planning this year. The plants were of excellent quality, enhancing the display, and this was commented on many times over the five show days. Six stewards manned the stand each day, in rotas of three, watching over the observation hive, answering questions and generally making themselves hoarse talking about bees and beekeeping, and usually beginning well before the official opening time of 10 am.

The individual support of members in this way is invaluable and cannot be underestimated. Cheshire Beekeepers could not participate in events such as this without the support of members, and this type of event plays a crucial role in our interaction with the public, helping us to raise awareness of bees and beekeeping and their role in the environment. Of course, the observation hive with its bees plays a starring role and is a major attraction each day.

All the stewards were in attendance Sunday at 4pm for the sale of plants, and by 11.30am Monday everything had been dismantled again, thanks to the team with the addition of Graham Platt and his Landrover, and the site was returned to a patch of grass, albeit a bit more muddy.

So was it all worthwhile? You bet it was! The conditions were awful and everyone worked really hard, but we took the details of over 160 potential new beekeepers, and the sale of plants raised over £90, which has been donated to Cheshire Beekeepers.

Oh, and we got to look round the show.

And if people only go away again knowing the difference between a bee and a wasp, then we’ve achieved something!

So ‘thank you’ to everyone who participated in any way in this year’s RHS Tatton Show.

Pam Hatton.

CHESHIRE BEEKEEPERS' ASSOCIATION

Apes curamus et nos curant (We look after bees and they look after us)

Founded 1899

Registered Charity No. 227494

Cheshire Beekeepers

at RHS Tatton-Park Flower Show

website by TIMMAZ