The Show Must Go On, Come Rain or Shine!
West End Village Show 2023
After a week poring over ever-changing – and unpromising – weather forecasts, the day finally arrived and we were lucky to enjoy dry and sunny spells in between two spectacular torrential downpours! It was great to witness a large turnout of visitors to the green and to see that the rain did not totally dampen spirits. The Epsom & Ewell Silver Band was extremely game, playing on despite the rolling thunder overhead. The Kingston Hospital radio team also managed to keep the sound system going successfully and the Elmbridge Ladies Choir entertained between showers.
As the Flower Show marquee doors opened visitors keenly flooded in (not just to keep out of the rain) to view the exhibits of home-grown produce, hobbies and home cooking. We expanded the number of classes this year, which brought in nearly a hundred more entries to the competitions. It was great to see more allotment growers entering with a number of novices winning prizes. Further interest from new entrants in children’s classes and photography was most encouraging. Once again, the judges spoke highly of the standards attained in the 113 classes.
This year we changed the layout of the green outside the marquee, allowing more space for Sideshows and stallholders. We were pleased to receive many positive comments. Along with our old favourite, Smash-a-Plate, there were more fairground attractions than usual, all good fun for our young visitors. Our eclectic mix of stallholders grew in number this year to include some great new food and drink outlets, such as a burrito van and Hampton Court Gin.
We were delighted to welcome back the bookstall – with huge thanks to the many contributors – which was as popular as ever and busy all day (as well as a being a useful shelter!); and the new addition of pre-loved toys attracted a steady stream of interested children.
The Fun Dog Show was extremely popular this year in its new spacious position on the green. We had entries from over 80 dogs eager to try their luck at various classes including ‘musical sit’ and ‘sausage catcher’. This was definitely a crowd pleaser with many cheers for some excellent catching skills! Our thanks go to Oscar Pet Foods for donating the prizes.
West End Playgroup introduced a new format for the Children’s Sports this year, which proved a great success and drew many young participants.
We were delighted to welcome back many of our regular artists and crafters selling their wares, comprising colourful hanging baskets, personalised embroidery, pet portraits and contemporary framed prints. Members of the weekly Hersham Village Market had a large stall with quality gifts and delicious home-baked goods. New to the Show were art-themed activities for children, crocheted toys, silver jewellery and a group of accomplished artists from the Walton Art Club.
As the skies darkened once again, Prize Giving and the Auction were moved indoors to the marquee providing a more intimate atmosphere than usual. Our Grand Raffle was drawn at the end of the Show and the lucky winners were contacted directly in order to select their prizes.
So, that’s it for another year. We are immensely grateful to all our sponsors, particularly Garsons and Savills and to the residents of West End for supporting yet another successful Village Show.
Steve Kelly
Chairman, West End Village Show