Cromar & District Horticultural & Industrial Society

WE URGENTLY NEED YOUR HELP!

Three of our long-serving management committee members will retire at our AGM on 18th November. This will leave our committee short of members and could mean that we will not be able to carry on organising and running our hugely popular annual community events: the Plant Sale in May and the Open Show in August.

Despite the pandemic making life difficult for everyone at the moment, we have worked hard to ensure that at least some of our activities have continued and have also established our very popular Facebook page providing a secure, members-only space to show-off your horticultural and craft successes, ask questions, seek help and exchange ideas. We are also planning our events for 2021 in the hope that life will return to near normality before too long.

We urgently need local volunteers, interested in horticulture and rural handicrafts, who would be willing to help out and join our small Committee. PLEASE HELP US continue our valuable community work. The task is not onerous and can be huge fun. We would ask you to attend 4 or 5 committee meetings a year, one of which is the Annual General Meeting in November, and would also seek your help at our 2 main events each year.

Please ring Jan Joseph on 86185 or Liz Cooper on 81010 if you can help.

Open Show 2021 Saturday 14^th August!

The 2020 classes will be carried forward into 2021, so you can get planning to win that trophy next year.

Amateur Garden Results 2020

An amazing day of sunshine offered the perfect opportunity for competitors to display their gardens this year. And with ‘lockdown gardens’ at their best, it was a fabulous array of garden design, cottage gardens, flowers, plants and veggies. Thank you to all gardeners for sharing your wonderful gardens with us! The judges were impressed by all the gardens and special ‘Very Highly Commended’ awards go to George Cumming, Alford, for his fine lawn and George and Evelyne Baikie for their fantastic range of cut flowers. The Society’s thanks go to our judges, Stephen McCallum and Stuart Pittendreigh, from the MacRobert Trust, Douneside, Tarland. See below for the detailed results.

Great Tattie Challenge 2020 Results

Congratulations to all our young growers out there. We hope you enjoy eating your tatties! Our ‘Great Tattie Challenge’ winners are:
Heaviest crop – James Davies is the senior winner with a total crop of 4lbs and the junior winner, with 3lbs 9oz, is Sage McPherson.
Heaviest tattie – 1st equal, with tatties weighing 8oz, are Sage McPherson and Finn & Alice Millott.
Thanks to Geordie Rattray and Frank Yule who were our judges at the Tarland Community Garden.

2020 Garden Results

Tattie Challenge Rules

The Cromar and District Horticultural Society (Scottish Charity No. SC023060) was founded to promote an interest in horticulture and rural handicrafts in the community. The highlight of its calendar is the annual Open Show, held in the MacRobert Hall, Tarland, on the second Saturday in August. A Plant and Produce Sale is held on the third Saturday in May each year to raise funds to support Society events. Occasional Social Evenings provide an opportunity to learn more about showing garden produce, wine and preserves, baking and crafts.

OPEN SHOW

Cromar & District Horticultural and Industrial Society organise the Open Show which is held in the MacRobert Hall, Tarland, on the second Saturday in August. Doors open at 2pm with presentation of trophies at 3pm.

The Show, which is open to professionals and amateurs, includes classes for novices, primary and secondary pupils and 16-18 year olds. New exhibitors are most welcome – first time exhibitors often win prizes, even the trophy for Best in Show.

So why not try your hand?

View of Tarland Show from inside the MacRobert Hall, Tarland

Best in show 2011 - Display of home grown vegetadles

Classes include: flowers, pot plants, fruit and vegetables, floral art, gardens and garden elements, baking, preserves, honey, wine and rural crafts. There are also many different classes for children and young people.

Schedules with details of all classes and an entry form will be available from Tarland village shops, downloaded here or email showsecretary@mossl.co.uk to request a copy.

How do I enter my exhibit?

The £3.00 annual subscription fee entitles you to exhibit in as many classes as you wish. Exhibitors aged 18 and under are nor required to pay the subscription.
Select the class or classes you wish to enter and prepare your exhibit(s) (any special instructions are in the schedule).
Bring your exhibit(s) to the MacRobert Hall, Tarland on Friday (7-9pm) or Saturday (7-9.40am), where:
- you can obtain help in completing an entry form (which can be found in the schedule and spare forms will be available in the Hall);
- be shown how to register as an exhibitor with the Show Secretary;
- and be further guided in displaying your exhibit(s)
Exhibits may be removed at 5pm. Any exhibits remaining will sold at 5:30pm

MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE & VOLUNTEERS

New committee members are formally elected at the AGM but if you would like to find out more about committee membership please contact one of the members listed below.

If you prefer not to join the committee but have an interest in the Society then why not consider volunteering for specific tasks? Volunteers can assist in many ways and are very welcome to the Society. Assistance in setting up for the Open Show and Plant Sale and dismantling the stalls afterwards is always appreciated whilst there are a host of other tasks including: serving on the plant sale stalls; serving teas; washing up; selling raffle tickets at the door on Show day; general dogsbody on Show day; distributing posters.

Being a committee member or volunteer is not onerous and in fact is great fun. Gardening knowledge is not essential for either role; you just need to have lots of enthusiasm. Committee members attend only three or four meetings each year to organise the Plant Sale and Open Show. Volunteers are needed mainly at the Plant Sale and on Show Day. The success of these events provides a great sense of satisfaction to all involved.

President: Mr Marcus Humphrey
Chairman: Mr Bob Joseph
Business Secretary: Mrs Jan Joseph (013398) 86185
Show Secretary: Mrs Liz Cooper (013398) 81010
Treasurer: Mr Jim Campbell
Industrial Section Convenor: Mrs Jess Gibb
Children’s Convenor Mrs Jane Gill
Mrs A Addy, Mr D Currie, Dr M Cuthbert, Mr D Davidson, Mr M Rattray

HISTORY OF THE SOCIETY

The committee has begun a new venture to document the history of the Society. We have few records and should be most grateful if anyone with memories or photographs of past Open Shows or other events would share them with us. Photographs or documents would be copied and returned. Please contact any of the committee members or bring items to the plant sale or to the Open Show.