Well, here we are again, less than a month from the Produce Show. Still wondering what happened to the summer ?.... Do not despair, we still have time for beans, squashes, courgettes and flowers like dahlias to come up with the goods, and if your plants really are that bad, then why not start making jams, jellies, or perfecting your Victoria sandwich recipes for the bakery section (or why not try a vegetable based cake with all those surplus courgettes ?).
I hope you have all seen the posters around town for the Produce show, and either picked up a schedule, or downloaded one from the web site. Please note that due to very generous grats awarded by St Ives in Bloom and by he Town Council, it is free to everyone and anyone in the town to enter the show this year - that is both to enter exhibits, or to come as visitors on the day. I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible on the 1st September in the Corn Exchange. Please tell all your friends.
This year as new items we will have a display of photos from a childrens plant competition we ran in the summer term, with Thorndown School, and we also have a new section for you all to enter - to keep the Jubilee theme going - a Queen's Diamond Jubilee section, where you can enter any fruit or vegetable with a 'Royal' name e.g. Potatoes, Duke of York, King Edward; Apples, Duchess of Oldenburg, Early Victoria, Edward VII, Garden Royal; Plums, Victoria, Avalon, Excalibur; Tomatoes, Jubilee; Runner beans, Lady Di, Scarlet Emperor (perhaps ?)..... and so on, or you can enter a floral display on a 'Royal' theme. These classes will be judged by the Mayor.
On more mundane matters, we have recently met with the new Amenities Committee, following the election of town councillors in May, and we hope that we can continue to push things forward with allotment improvements. We have now got a formal item onto the agenda of the September Amenities Committee meeting at which they will discuss budgets for the allotments, and we will continue to press the council to spend some of the >£4000 per annum which they take in rents, to improve the site. I expect that the Town Clerks riposte will be that the money is spent on the groundsmen's time, so if you have any thoughts on the quality of what they do - whether good or bad - and the length of time they take to do it, then please email me.
The other important thing I need to remind you of is the AGM which this year will be held on the evening of Monday 15th October - please put this date in your diary now (venue to be confirmed).
As we have mentioned in previous newsletters, both John, and I will be standing down from the two formal positions of Secretary and Chairman respectively. There are still lots that we would like to do, John being particularly busy with the Produce Show which will doubtless grow year on year, but we need to share the load amongst a few more people.
To explain a bit more about what is needed - the secretaries job has grown to include the following: membership secretary, newsletter editor, secretary for committee meetings and council liaison meetings. Some of these jobs could be divided up amongst the committee, and none of them individually should take a huge amount of time.
For myself, I am still happy to help on the Committee, fight occasional battles with the Council (!) and keep the web site updated, but I also think it is good after three years to have someone new in the Chair, so that things are refreshed.
So enjoy the rest of the summer and I look forward to seeing you all on the 1st of September.
Richard
Chair HRAA
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