MORE than 2,000 people attended this year’s Frenchay Flower Show as it returned to Frenchay Common.
Performances from musicians, morris dancers and a magician, more than 60 stalls and a display of classic cars were among the attractions that pulled in the crowds on a hot July Saturday.
A fun dog show, held in the morning before the peak heatwave temperatures arrived, saw local pets judged in categories including best trick, best young handler, prettiest and best veteran.
The main draw was the show’s marquee, where growers, makers, artists and photographers competed across a variety of categories including fruit and veg, bread, cakes and preserves.
As it opened to the public at noon, a flood of people came in to see which entries had won prizes, and take in the floral displays, artworks and photos.
Frenchay Flower Show chairman Mark Wooley said: “Wow! What a great day – and it’s a great day due to our volunteers.
“Without this small army there would be no show.
“Most people don’t realise the enormous amount of work required to create the show, for example, the hard physical work required to create the route across the grass from Beckspool Road onto Frenchay Common, or the amount of work required to prepare Frenchay Parklands as a car park or the disabled car park by the church.
“The traffic team don’t have the benefit of enjoying the show while they work, so we are particularly grateful to this group of volunteers
“We had very positive feedback from many of our visitors. They liked the show in the heart our village, set against the glorious backdrop of St John the Baptist church.
“It seems easier to catch up with friends and neighbours on a site that was smaller than last year. “The new site has also enabled us to work together with the local church, who agreed for us to encourage our visitors to enjoy their cooler environment, and the earlier start time enabled people to enjoy the show before temperatures increased mid-afternoon.”
Established attractions including an alpaca petting farm were joined by new innovations including craft and technology workshops: Mark has urged visitors to let the committee know what worked and what new attractions they would like to see next year.
He said: “The highlight of the whole show was the performance by Shine, from Ukraine.
“They performed traditional Ukrainian children’s dances and it was beauty personified. It was their first public performance – outstanding!
“We have learnt many lessons from our 1st experience of this new site. We hope you agree that it will make a good home for the show.”
Organisers can be contacted via frenchayflowershow.com
