Stourton Caundle

 

Stourton Caundle Garden Club

 

We meet once a month, September to May, to discuss all things gardening in a friendly and informal atmosphere. The January supper is always a huge success, whilst the Annual Show brings the whole village together and looks wonderful.

 

 

Membership

 

Current annual subscription is £7.50. This allows entry to the talks; the ‘club night’ at Castle Gardens when a 25% discount is offered on all plants and bulbs; and visits to outstanding local gardens.  New members are always welcome – just turn up at the Village Hall.

 

Programme

 

 

 

 

Garden Club Programme 2016/17

 

Meetings are in the Village Hall at 7.15 pm except for the May meeting which is at Castle Gardens and starts at 6.30 pm

Wed 12 October	Gardening in the Shade	Nigel Rowland from Longacre Nursey
Wed 9 November	AGM and Gardeners Question Time
Wed 14 December	New Tricks for Old Gardeners	Katherine Crouch
Wed 11 January	Annual Supper
Wed 8 February	Control of Pests and Diseases	Castle Gardens
Wed 8 March	Talk by Gardening Columnist of the Saturday Telegraph	Helen Yemm
Wed 12 April	The History of Abbotsbury Gardens	Stephen Griffith
Wed 10 May	Castle Gardens Discount Evening

 

 

 

 

 

 

History

The inaugural meeting of the Stourton Caundle Garden Club was held in May 1974.  Committee members were F Barnes, S Burch, Mrs Bond, Miss Spickenwell and the Misses Helen and Rosemary Julius.  They also had the power to co-opt two more members.  The Annual Show was scheduled for September and monthly meetings were to be held on the 2^nd Friday of the month from October to April.  Subscriptions were set at 50 pence per year.  Membership was, and still is, open to residents from Stourton Caundle, Stalbridge Weston, Purse Caundle, Bishops Caundle, Bishops Down and Holwell.

 

A later committee meeting agreed the schedule for the Show, which consisted of 38 classes with sections in Vegetables, Fruit, Flowers, Domestic, Handicrafts and Children’s section.

 

Meetings moved to Wednesdays in 1975 and the first Constitution of the club was drawn up.  Mr Ron Baillie became a horticultural judge in 1982, and since then has provided judging at the Show.  His wife, Mrs Sylvia Baillie, acted as a secretary of the club for a number of years before becoming Chair in 1992.  They retired from active committee work in 1995 but Ron Baillie continues to do a sterling job in his capacity as horticultural judge.

 

Mrs Prue Seddon served on the committee from 1994 to 2010, when she was elected as President following the death of Miss Rosemary Julius.  The Julius sisters took it in turns to be Chair, Secretary or President of the club for almost 20 years.

 

Jane Yandell was elected as Chair in 1995 and held the post for 12 years until Nikki Hale took over in 2007.  In November 2012 Howard Ffitch became the current Chairman.

 

Link to Garden Show Guidelines

2016 Village Show

Photos: Alan Peters