Southport Flower Show 2014 - Part 1
Report by Callum Pritchard and photos by Patrick Trollope

SOUTHPORT has hosted their annual Flower Show on Victoria Park, on Rotten Row, running from the 14 August and ending on the 17 August 2014.  The Show, which was first held in 1924 and has been a yearly event ever since, attracted a huge crowd over its 4 days, including a host of V.I.P guests, and celebrity attendees, who came to enjoy everything that was on offer amidst the hustle and bustle of the weekend. We at the Southport Reporter saw, amongst others, Strictly Come Dancing's Anton du Beke, who was present on Thursday, 14 August 2014, to open the event and Lisa Riley, who enjoyed admiring the Show's garden displays, and later played host for the Ladies' Day Fashion Show. Former Liverpool player, Gary Gillespie, was also spotted around the Show, a prime example of the calibre of guest the Show attracts.

Upon entering, the guests were treated to a plethora of award winning garden displays, proudly presented by their creators. The public and guests alike gathered round each display, and marvelled at the intricate detail of these displays, some of which we were told that they had taken several weeks to design and build. These gardens were made by different companies around the country, all of them hoping to catch the eye of the guests, some gardens proudly displaying their trophies in the sunshine! There were a variety of themes within the gardens, with features such as mini fountains and streams winding through the greenery, and flowers in every hue and colour.

One of the companies who attended the event were Crosby Landscapes, whose representatives, Jeff Rawsthorne and Sean Marsden were able to give us a few words about the event.

In addition to the colourful gardens, visitors were able to tuck into an impressive variety of food and drink at the Show, with the middle of Victoria Park filled with food stalls offering a range of cuisine, ensuring there was something to suit every taste. Chairs and tables were also available for visitors in front of the stage, where there were live performances throughout the event. On most days visitors of all ages were seated in front of the performers, from elderly couples enjoying a cup of tea to families tucking into burgers and chips, the main band stand proved to be a fantastic area to relax. There was even a giant deckchair, facing the band stand, big enough to fit the families on, needless to say the 'big kids' enjoyed it, as well as the younger ones.

Some of the more unusual attractions included one on Thursday, which was the War House; a life sized, breathing, galloping puppet, from the National Theatre's production of War House… Also one of the new additions to this event was a motorbike stunt show, performed by Local businesses were also to take advantage of the Show's popularity, propping up tents to advertise their products. These tents invited visitors in to learn more about their respective companies. They attracted a lot of interest from visitors, who chatted with the sales representatives whilst enjoying the free samples, and testing out the goods that were on offer at the stalls. BBC's Radio Merseyside along with Juice FM, were also getting in on the action. The stations both had tents that allowed them to engage with the visitors of the Show, with the BBC even having live music played from their stand, which was also broadcast live.

Friday at the Southport Flower Show was also the Ladies' Day of the event, and the ladies didn't disappoint, getting all dolled up for their day in the VIP area, where drinks and other refreshments were available from the volunteer team. The VIP area also played host to the Ladies' Day Fashion Show. Hosted by Lisa Riley (Mandy Dingle in Emmerdale), a team of models were on hand to strut their stuff wearing all the trendiest Summer gear for the guests, with their attire ranging from casual Summer dress to glamorous! Lisa also signed many Strictly Come Dancing fans photos throughout her visit to the show. The ladies were definitely into it, and it's a safe bet some of them later opted to purchase some of the clothes from the Fashion Show. Also present in the VIP area, before the Fashion Show commenced, was television personality and gardening expert, Carol Klein, who made a speech before continuing her day at the Show. Another VIP guest we came across was Mich Turner, a celebrity cake maker, who we found giving a cooking demonstration in one of the numerous food marquees across Victoria Park. The biggest draw after Anton, when it came to celebrity guests was Alison King, who plays Carla Barlow. She was "blown away" after meeting her childhood hero Prof. David Bellany OBE. David told us:- "I always love this show. It is close to my heart and both my wife and I have many happy memories and long may they continue. This show is getting better each year and I am so pleased to still be a show patron since 1996." His wife echoed this saying:- "He is always excited about coming to Southport's Flower Show. They treat us both amazingly well and the atmosphere is always extremely social and friendly. For both of us, it is a pleasure to walk around and see the event grow each year."

Of course, it couldn't be called the Southport Flower Show without an awe-inspiring array of flowers on offer! There were rooms full to the brim with flowers of all shapes, sizes, colours and textures. These flowers were definitely a big hit with the visitors, some of whom voiced out loud their admiration for the flowers. The Show definitely lived up to their 'Flower' part with these displays, as they were interesting even for a non-flower fan to observe. There were people on every stall on hand to answer any questions about the flowers they had grown, so you could walk out much more enlightened about a flower you didn't even know existed before!

But saying all that, it was not just the flowers and the entertainment that made it, it is the dedicated staff and volunteers who work year on year to bring this show together for the area. Without them and the show's patrons, like Sir Roddy Lluwellen, Mathew Wilson, Prof. Stefan Buzacki, Christine Walkden and Paul Crown, along with Prof. David Bellamy OBE, the event would not be as successful as it is today.

The Southport Flower Show was definitely a big success overall, right down to the weather on most of the days, contributing further to the fantastic 4 days of entertainment and floral delight.

In the previous edition we ran a preview page we a few photos taken at the opening, but have loads more in this weeks edition from the event.  Also in the next issue we will have video and plenty more photographs for you, but for now, please enjoy the photos within this edition.   Also did you attend the Flower Show?  If you did, tell us what you enjoy the most... Let us via emailing us to:- news24@southportreporter.com today!