Tenth Welshampton Plant Fair is a record breaker

Welshampton Plant Fair, held on Bank Holiday Monday in Welshampton Parish Hall, raised an astonishing £9,450 in just three hours for Shropshire Macmillan Cancer Support and St Michael and All Angels Church, Welshampton. The total takes the villagers’ fundraising to a fantastic £49,500 in 10 years.

“Hundreds of people came and they were queueing half way up the road,” said Gill Eleftheriou, event co-ordinator. “We sold out of everything, including cream teas and we were so lucky with the sunny weather.

“We wanted to make it a special event because it was our 10th anniversary and it was amazing. I don’t think you can find this cross section of plants anywhere else in the country. You certainly wouldn’t get the variety of unusual plants from national collections together in one place.

“It’s a wonderful opportunity for plantsmen to buy rare plants. For example, the iris donated by the Duke and Duchess of Westminster’s gardens at Eaton Hall is currently available in America and France but not in the UK. It’s a dreamy blue colour with wavy flounces to the petals.

She explained that she and a dedicated group of five growers are responsible for growing most of the plants for the grand plant sale. They are Mike Phillips, Keith Egerton, Gilliam Webster, Stan and Joyce Melcrow and Dianne Luff.

“We are all in our late 60s to 80s, keen plantsmen and also perfectionists,” added Gill. “We really do try to present the plants in pristine condition.”

The rare specimens donated to the event were sold in a ‘Special Plants’ auction by Andrew Beeston, senior fine art auctioneer and valuer at Halls in Shrewsbury.

Notable prices included £70 for an Eaton Hall selection and £40 for a beautiful butter-yellow floribunda rose, named Welshampton Fair, donated by Mary Jinks from her selection at Country Garden Roses, Hadnal, in memory of her late husband, John.

“Plantsmen were again so generous with their treasures this year,” said Gill. “Many donated plants and prizes because their family had been touched by cancer and they wanted to help the work of Macmillan Cancer Support.”

For this year’s finale, there was an informal talk, themed ‘My passion for borders’, by Jan Lomas, experienced head gardener at Eaton Hall and, to mark the 10th anniversary, the village hall was specially decorated by Ruth Clark, floristry lecturer at Reaseheath College.

Back by popular demand was a giant sunflower competition, which was introduced last year to celebrate the life of Tom Hancock, a popular village teenager who loved growing sunflowers before losing his life to muscular dystrophy at the age of 19 in 2013.

Tom‘s mum, Heather sold young sunflower plants and growers will then report back the height of their plants in September to the event organisers and the winner will receive a garden sculpture specially donated by Clive Knowles, managing director of British Ironwork Centre, Oswestry.