Exotic flora and fauna and fun-for-all

at the Lotherton Hall Garden Festival

From toadstools to toads and bee-orchids to honey bees there’s something for everyone at the 9^th Lotherton Hall Garden Festival, Aberford, Friday, Saturday and Sunday (May 11 – 13).

Making their third visit to the show, but leading the fauna field, will be the meerkats, skunk, giant snakes, snails and lizards, tarantula, prairie dog, chinchilla and barn owl of the Morley Exotic Animal Rescue Trust (MEART).

But this year’s much-enlarged show also includes bantams and chickens, cavies and rabbits, crabs, shrimps and other crustaceans, insect, other bugs worms and racing snails, plus those honey bees.

Naturally there will be a veritable bouquet of traditional horticultural stands and attractions but pick-the-bunch has to be the Gardeners’ Question Time sessions on Friday and Saturday.  David Allison – author, editor, member of the Board of Trustees of the National Vegetable Society and ‘still passionate about growing vegetables’ – will host three sessions on Friday.  While on Saturday he hands over their reins to Roger Brownbridge, Vice Chairman of the National Chrysanthemum Society and a National Champion on a number of occasions.

For those with a love of lawns but perhaps a more sporting bent there will be croquet demonstrations / exhibitions courtesy of the Bishop Monkton Croquet Club plus a chance to have-a-go at a sport that has been described as ‘chess with balls’.

MEART is based at Morley near Leeds, relies entirely on donations to fund its work in rescuing, rehabilitating and rehoming exotic animals of all sorts.  Recently it has also had considerable success in attracting disadvantaged young people as volunteers, as the Trust’s Alan Hewitt explained:

“When you say ‘volunteering’ to most young people they think ‘painting, picking up litter or even making tea for old people’.  But when you tell them it is looking after a 20-foot snake they think that’s a lot more macho and become a lot more interested.

“We shall certainly have some of our volunteers with us at the show and find it increases their self-confidence and they become much better at meeting and dealing with the general public,” he said.

All of the MEART animals on display will either be non-poisonous or of low toxin and there will be supervised opportunities for people to handle most of them.

Show organiser Kelvin Pye added: “I am really pleased with the range of entertainment and attractions we have at Lotherton this year and believe that, with tickets as low as £4.50 for adults and children free at some times, it offers a great day out for all the family and great value for money at the same time.”

9^8h Lotherton Hall Garden Festival – 10.00 – 17.00, Friday, Saturday & Sunday, May 11 – 13, 2012, Lotherton Hall, Aberford, Leeds LS25 3EB. Tickets: ONLY £6.00 for adults - or just £5.00 if booked in advance via the Ticket Hotline on 01704 212734; OAPs £5.50; children (under 16 years) FREE on Friday and until12.00 on Saturday, £1.50 at all other times.

- ends –

Memo to News / Picture Editors: a selection of high-quality JPG pictures is available upon request.  If required please call or email Anglian Public Relations on the numbers below.

For further information please contact:

 Laurie Pott

 Anglian Public Relations

The Red House

The Street

Fornham St Martin

Suffolk IP31 1SW

Tel & Fax: 01284 768784

 Email: lauriepott@waitrose.com

Have-a-Cro at the Lotherton show

Croquet is set be to the pick-of-the-bunch of attractions at this year’s Lotherton Hall Garden Festival, Aberford, Friday, Saturday and Sunday (May 11 – 13).

The sport – sometimes described as chess with balls – has long since shed its image of a game played on vicarage lawns with players in natty attire quaffing Pimms and nibbling cucumber sandwiches.

And as well as watching demonstrations visitors to the show will be able to have a five-minute lesson and then ‘have-a-cro’ themselves.

The demonstrations – on three specially prepared lawns – are being staged by the Bishop Monkton Croquet Club from North Yorkshire and its chairman, Richard Field explained: “Our club was only formed four years ago but already has some 70 members, making it one of the largest in the county.

“Today there are hundreds of clubs in the country and it is a sport which is played to a high standard by people of all ages. Surprisingly some of the world’s best players come from Egypt,

“Visitors will have the chance to learn the basics of the game in a five-minute briefing, watch a short demonstration and the try it out for themselves on one of three specially prepared lawns.  It should be fun.  Don’t miss it !”

Show organiser Kelvin Pye added: “I’ve thought for a long time that croquet would be a perfect complement to the show . . . it is after all the epitome of the English Summer Season.  And now I’ve succeeded I’m just . . . well . . . cock-a-hoop !”

Naturally there will be a veritable bouquet of traditional horticultural stands and attractions but pick-the-bunch has to be the Gardeners’ Question Time sessions on Friday and Saturday.  David Allison – author, editor, member of the Board of Trustees of the National Vegetable Society and ‘still passionate about growing vegetables’ – will host three sessions on Friday.  While on Saturday he hands over their reins to Roger Brownbridge, Vice Chairman of the National Chrysanthemum Society and a National Champion on a number of occasions.

But this year’s much-enlarged show also includes bantams, barn owl, cavies, chickens, chinchilla, crabs, giant snakes honey bees, insects and other bugs, lizards, meerkats, prairie dog, rabbits, racing snails, rats, shrimps and other crustaceans, skunk, tarantula and worms.

While there is a host of perennial, favourites such as: Alpacas, Bernese Mountain Dogs, donkey rides, a farmers’ market, ferrets, Falconry Village and aerial displays, live music Moonlight Majorettes, sheepdog demonstrations, Siberian Huskies,

9^8h Lotherton Hall Garden Festival – 10.00 – 17.00, Friday, Saturday & Sunday, May 11 – 13, 2012, Lotherton Hall, Aberford, Leeds LS25 3EB. Tickets: ONLY £6.00 for adults - or just £5.00 if booked in advance via the Ticket Hotline on 01704 212734; OAPs £5.50; children (under 16 years) FREE on Friday and until12.00 on Saturday, £1.50 at all other times.

- ends –

Memo to News / Picture Editors: a selection of high-quality JPG pictures – including croquet - is available upon request.  If required please call or email Anglian Public Relations on the numbers below.

For further information please contact:

 Laurie Pott

Anglian Public Relations

The Red House

The Street

Fornham St Martin

Suffolk IP31 1SW

Tel & Fax: 01284 768784

Email: lauriepott@waitrose.com

Tops tips from green-fingered experts

 at the Lotherton Garden Festival

Crazy about chrysanthemums ?  Passionate about peonies ?  Swoon over swedes ?  Or even rapturous about radishes ?

Whether you’re a flower fancier or a veg lover then this year’s Lotherton Hall Garden Festival, Aberford, on Friday, Saturday and Sunday (May 11 – 13) is the place to be.

Friday kicks off with three talks from David Allison: member of the Board of Trustees of the National Vegetable Society (NVS) and editor of ‘Simply Veg’ its quarterly magazine.

David describes himself as farmer’s son, has been a farm worker, banker, finance director of a nursing home, garden centre manager and now running his own garden maintenance business; “And still passionate about growing vegetables.

“My talks will be around the general theme of ‘a beginner’s guide to growing vegetables’.  But in between I shall be ‘manning’ an NVS stand and I shall be happy to try and answer questions from any members of the public.”

While on Saturday, David hands over to Roger Brownbridge who cites his main interest as exhibiting, judging and lecturing on chrysanthemums across the UK.

He is vice chairman of the National Chrysanthemum Society, chairman of its Northern Group and has been National Champion on a number of occasions.  From 1994 until he retired in 2009 Roger was Show Director of the Harrogate Spring and Autumn Flower Shows and he is still a judge for Yorkshire in Bloom

“I like to try and keep my demonstrations ‘hands-on’ and practical,” he said, “But I’ve heard a lot about Lotherton and I’m really just looking forward to coming along and chatting to Yorkshire folk about whatever comes up !”

Naturally there will be a veritable bouquet of other horticultural stands and attractions but this year’s much-enlarged show also includes bantams, barn owl, cavies, chickens, chinchilla, crabs, giant snakes honey bees, insects and other bugs, lizards, meerkats, prairie dog, rabbits, racing snails, rats, shrimps and other crustaceans, skunk, tarantula and worms.

While there is a host of perennial, favourites such as: Alpacas, Bernese Mountain Dogs, donkey rides, a farmers’ market, ferrets, Falconry Village and aerial displays, live music Moonlight Majorettes, sheepdog demonstrations, Siberian Huskies,

9^8h Lotherton Hall Garden Festival – 10.00 – 17.00, Friday, Saturday & Sunday, May 11 – 13, 2012, Lotherton Hall, Aberford, Leeds LS25 3EB. Tickets: ONLY £6.00 for adults - or just £5.00 if booked in advance via the Ticket Hotline on 01704 212734; OAPs £5.50; children (under 16 years) FREE on Friday and until12.00 on Saturday, £1.50 at all other times.

- ends –

Memo to News / Picture Editors: a selection of high-quality JPG pictures – including both David Allison and Roger Brownbridge - is available upon request.  If required please call or email Anglian Public Relations on the numbers below.

For further information please contact:

Laurie Pott

Anglian Public Relations

The Red House

The Street

Fornham St Martin

Suffolk IP31 1SW

Tel & Fax: 01284 768784

 Email: lauriepott@waitrose.com