Posted:  Sunday 29 August 2010

A day at
Southport Flower Show
for
Manchester Area Associates

- Thursday 19th August -

Our visit was on the first day of the show which was opened by Susanne Jones, whose character of Karen McDonald in Coronation Street will long be remembered.

158 Associates, spouses and friends embarked on our journey to Southport with the weather forecast saying "fine today".

Our first port of call was the biggest hotel on the front esplanade
-  the Royal Clifton Hotel  -
which provided an excellent three-course meal which was to set us up
for the rest of the day.

Many crafts were on show with willing workers glad to show us their basketwork, using willow rods, the arts of woodcarving and wood turning, and many more.

I also sat in on Gardeners' Road Show with quite a few interesting, although quite quirky questions, but every one was answered very well by the panel.

We made our way to the main arena where the Eagles, Bald Eagles, and Falcons supplied by Hawk Experience were holding a fantastic show.  Incidentally these birds are all looked after at Warwick Castle by their caring handlers who gave a very informative and funny commentary about the work of the birds for their shows.

We experienced a daring act by the Three Vanda Brothers performing breathtaking daredevil stunts on a three-barrel aerial revolving contraption with no safety net in sight.

The bandstand was a place to enjoy various types of music, from a Rhythm Swing Band to a Steel Band with a place to sit and rest and reflect on the flower show in general.

The Village Food Tent has a vast array of samples to be enjoyed from over thirty producers providing a feast of culinary delights.

All in all we had a great day out but there was not enough time to see everything that was on offer before we had be return to the coaches for our journey home. 

Dilys Bray

(ph  29/08/2010)

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