Search begins for budding new gardening talent!

The award-winning Chorley Flower Show is searching to find the very best in gardening talent and has launched their new amateur competitions for 2019.

The competitions include 63 classes, with categories for children to compete in as well as a special floral art contest and a community gardening competition.
So, whether it’s the best rose or the biggest rhubarb, there’s a whole range of classes to enter, and everyone who competes gets a free ticket to the show.

For the children’s competitions there are three age groups, 7 and under, 8 to 10 and 11 to 13yrs. Challenges include creating a monster from recycled materials, making a bowl of floating flower heads and taking the best picture of an animal. The show is really keen for local kids to get involved and create some really imaginative pieces.

Rebecca Huddleston, Director at Chorley Council, said: “Chorley Flower Show is all about creating an event for the whole community and the amateur competitions are a key part of that. We want people young and old to take an active part in this year’s show, displaying their creations or plants they are most proud of. We had a great range of entries last year and we hoping to see even more for 2019.”

The competitions are free for anyone to enter and there will be cash prizes for first, second and third places. The amateur competitions are being jointly organised with Chorley and District Gardening Society, which has been hosting shows in the town since 1884.

David Brown, Show Manager- Amateur Competition, said: “We’d really like everyone to take part, and would love to see people get involved who have never competed before.
“We’ll be hosting a session in June to give people hints and tips on how to exhibit but it really is good fun and it’s the ideal time to start planning what you want to enter as the weather is now finally starting to improve.”
You can download a full schedule for the amateur section, which includes the classes and application forms, at www.chorleyflowershow.com/amateur-competition/ or call in at the council offices.
Deadline for entries will be the 28 June for the Floral Art classes and the 24 July for all other categories.

The session for people wanting hints and tips on how to display exhibits at the show will be held at Birkacre Garden Centre, on Birkacre Road, between 10am and 12noon on Saturday 29 June.

Chorley Flower Show burst on to the regional event calendar in 2015 and in its short history has already won a prestigious Lancashire Tourism Award, attracting more than 15,000 people over two days in 2017.
This year the show will take place in Astley Park, on Saturday and Sunday 27 and 28 July – tickets are now on sale and you can save 20% by booking now, with advance tickets £10 for adults and £1.50 for children, plus booking fee.