“Farming and flowers have always flourished together”.
Slaley Show Floral Art section secretary Margaret Ogle explains how floral art classes remain a core part of our traditional rural village shows….
The first ‘numbered’ Slaley Show was a poultry show held on 21st August 1852. The newspaper of the time, the Newcastle Courant reported it as ‘exciting considerable interest; that same report remarked that a floral show was also being held on the same day most likely started by the vicar Reverend Blythe Hurst who had arrived in the village in 1850. He held a pot plant competition perhaps within his own home alongside St Mary’s Parish Church on Slaley’s Main Street. Other records report an 1848 show called the Slaley and Hexhamshire Floral and Horticultural Society Show; the real beginnings remain a mystery for the moment. However, both events eventually merged along with the village Sunday School festival. By 1870 it was officially known as ‘Annual Sunday School Festival and Flower Show’. One hundred and sixty-one years later, not counting cancelled shows due to weather, war and Covid, everything about these early events still holds true to this day; Slaley Show celebrates traditional village life and flowers have always been at the heart of it.
The Floral Art Section is well-supported and sits alongside other classes within the Industrial Tent which collectively have regularly housed over 1,000 entries overall. Amongst the farming community Floral Art is encouraged from an early age through the efforts of Young Farmers Clubs whose annual competitive rallies produce floral exhibits of a very high standard and with many local floral societies and clubs in the area, there are many hoping to win at least one of the five trophies on offer.
Meet the section secretary Margaret Ogle
Much of the success of the floral section is down to the hard work that Margaret Ogle devotes to the section. Flowers and vegetables have always been at the heart of Slaley Show and for Margaret Ogle, Slaley Show’s Floral Art and Horticultural Secretary, her floral art ‘hobby’ led to winnings and eventually something of a sideline. Margaret, a farmer’s daughter in the North Tyne who became a Slaley farmer’s wife, belongs to Hexham and District Flower Club “I just love flowers of all varieties” and in her role at Slaley Show, is “aiming to enthuse, encourage and simplify our shows floral art section to encourage more people to try” she says.“What I think is off putting to new exhibitors” says Margaret “is that Floral Art is thought to be costly. Of course, special or rare flowers are expensive to buy because they come from all over the world. Growing your own means, you can only plan for the few days ahead of a show… because the weather may ruin everything! So, we have an Arrangement class using a supermarket bunch of flowers, any variety, costing no more than £8. There are five trophies’ overall to be won so it is worth having a go!” she says There’s a difference between the ’Exhibit’ and ‘Arrangement’ term which needs a bit of explaining. A Floral ‘Exhibit’ is a celebratory, ornamental or symbolic display of flowers and foliage “You take into consideration colour, texture, composition, appropriate props, interior design and measurement restrictions…it’s an experimental art form. An ‘Arrangement’ is centred on the flowers whereas ‘Exhibit’ requires props to complement the flowers to tell a story” Margaret explains.Running alongside these works of art are the traditional show flower and vegetable classes, which are prey to weather conditions perhaps even more so. These are the sweet peas, the gladioli, the dahlias, the pansies, the carnations, the pot plants, and for those not daring to attempt floral art, the vases of garden, cottage and annual flowers. The fragrance created by these exbibits means that visitors are reluctant to move on. It’s a very slow perambulation section of the tent.The vegetable classes are often astonishing in their display methods and draw sighs of appreciation particularly with the collections of vegetables, soft fruits, salad and fresh herbs in a trug or a basket. Over the years many new vegetable varieties are now grown and the care taken to display them mirrors the care taken in the growing. This section also incorporates Farmers Classes. Closing date for entries is Friday 1st August although Margaret is happy to accept entries on the day as the weather has been known to flourish or destroy entries in equal measure! Entry forms are situated within the Schedule, to be launched at the end of May.
