The Annual Show Came Back 2022!

The 2022 organic show was an amazing success, with a high quality of entries despite the  testing weather conditions this summer. Congratulations to all trophy winners, and to all those who gained first, second, third and highly commended certificates.

Best Exhibit in Show Tony Chalcraft & Jane Thurlow, pear Marguerite Marillat

Best Veg in Show. Val Harris for Sweetcorn Swift

Best fruit in show. Tony Chalcraft & Jane Thurlow, Best in Fruit, pear Marguerite Marillat

Best in Home Made, NEET, pickled beetroot

Best exhibit in Under-16s, Lower Fields Primary Academy, for eating apple Katy

Best stall on the day Fog & Fennel

Best in Alcoholic Drink, Linda Scott for strawberry gin

Best in Tomatoes Jane Thurlow & Tony Chalcraft for ’Sungold’ (cherry)

Best in herbs/flowers/seeds, jar of flowers for butterflies & bees Hannah Llewellyn

Best in Bread NEET

The show from above by Sue Stanwell

 The show from above by Sue Stanwell

Vegetable animals, photo by Sue Stanwell

The annual show started 1989 Hipperholme church Sunday afternoon, mainly organised by Jack and Joyce Tindall and from the start it was a show to be judged on taste. In the third year of the show’s life it moved to the Clarke Foley centre in Ilkley with coverage from the BBC woman’s reporter and a Guardian photographer attending. In 1993 the show moved to Cleckheaton Town Hall for several years, then to Carlisle Business Centre in Bradford in 1999 for its 10^th anniversary, and from 2000 it has been at it current home at Shipley College in Saltaire.  Over the years many different and  well, known people involved in organic growing have helped with the judging, from HDRA (now Garden Organic) and DT Browns seed merchants. It grew quickly in the 1990 and over the past few years the numbers have plateaued and occasionally dip. The format has remained roughly the same with other stalls, a café,  a schedule that is revised in the light of changing circumstances – so more children’s classes were added at a time when many schools were involved in entering their produce, but now there is little opportunity to work with schools so the classes for children have been reduced. You can find copies of the schedule over the years here, and poster advertising the events here

The show ran every year until 2020 when lockdowns and the covid pandemic halted it; an outside event was held in 2021 in Saltaire and the hope is that the show will resume in 2022.