Don’t miss your chance to shine at allotment show
Hartlepool Council is staging its first ever Hartlepool Allotment Show at the town's Summerhill country park on Sunday 19 August and is keen to showcase the talents of gardeners across the town.
The closing date for entries is 10 August and it costs just 30p per exhibit to enter. The show will be modelled on a traditional village fete with fruit, vegetable and home-produce classes.
It also includes five special categories for children who are aged 16 and under on the show day. Entry to these is free and there will be £10 giftcards from Tesco Hartlepool for the young winners.
The children's categories are:
* Animal Made From Fruit or Vegetables. * Scarecrow Designed on an Olympic Theme. * Best Decorated Egg. * One Fruit, Vegetable or Flower Grown by a Child. * Junior Allotment Gardener of the Year (nominated by family, friends or allotment holders).
Kate Ainger, the Council's Environmental Projects Officer, said: "The show will be a bit different from a conventional horticultural show in that we are hoping to stage a fun, family event for tenants who are perhaps new to showing but who nevertheless are very proud of their gardening efforts.
"Rather than the traditional "longest leek" or "heaviest onion" classes, our show will judge the entries on taste rather than size so if you think that you grow the tastiest tomatoes or the most flavoursome fruit we want to hear from you.
"We're especially keen to receive entries from children who use an allotment and we're very grateful to Tesco Hartlepool for donating the gift voucher prizes for the children's categories."
The show is being held to complement the annual Hartlepool Horticultural Show which is taking place the previous day, Saturday 18 August, in the Borough Hall.
All allotment tenants should have received a copy of the show schedule and an entry form, but further copies can be downloaded at www.hartlepool.gov.uk/allotments or obtained by calling (01429) 523406.
