Do your bit by keeping gardens wildlife-friendly

Proceedings were opened by chairman and show secretary Tony Newman, who had the unhappy task of advising us of the sudden death of one of our active and long-standing members Dave Francombe.

Members who have been involved with the society for many years will be forever grateful for the input he gave. We all wish to extend our condolences to his family.

Tony continued with a brief run down of the events over the past year by saying both shows, spring and autumn, were well supported by exhibitors and visitors and urged us all to continue this effort in the coming year.

He thanked Norman Page and Ron Thompson for holding 'open gardens' both of which were greatly enjoyed by all who attended and raised a considerable sum for club funds. We hope this success will encourage other members to come forward to do the same this year.

Sadly, we have four people retiring from committee work this year.

So if anyone feels they would like to join us to keep the society up and running, he would be happy to hear from you '“ we are a happy and friendly group, any member past, present or prospective would be most welcome.

One person who will be particularly missed from our meetings is Margery Brown.

She is retiring after 10 years of dedicated and invaluable work service as our club secretary.

Tony gave a heartfelt thanks to her and presented her with a beautiful bouquet of spring flowers.

Fortunately, Margery has offered to be available on the end of the phone 'should we need her advice' '“ is she kidding? Her phone will never stop ringing. We do need to fill this post as soon as possible.

Margaret Huntingdon, treasurer, gave her report, the coffers were boosted by the town council grant of 100 and the introduction of the 1 entrance fee, however we would like to encourage any local businesses to advertise in our next schedule of events, which has a large circulation, as this would benefit both parties.

Margaret also reminded us of the date of the Bersted Festival, July 15, in which we will be taking part again this year.

Ron Thompson our former vice chairman spoke of his forthcoming move away from the area to be nearer to his children and grandchildren. We shall all be sorry to say goodbye after his long involvement with the society.

Then came the presentation of the annual awards: The Walter Cup for most points overall '“ Keith Weston; the Joyce Oppler Cup for most points in handicraft '“ Gill Lowden; Show Table Cup and voucher '“ Ken Mason.

After the coffee break and raffle draw, we welcomed Veronica Kendon, senior community parks officer based at Bognor Regis Town Hall, who is responsible for planning and overseeing the displays of plants in Hotham Park, Marine Park Gardens, The Steyne, Waterloo Square, The Rock Gardens and many other venues in the area as well as the organizing of Bognor In Bloom.

Veronica provided us with a brochure detailing the many ways we can encourage wildlife into our gardens and make a difference to our environment by recycling, using low energy light bulbs, eating seasonal vegetables and organic gardening.

Encourage hedgehogs into the garden to keep slugs under control '“ a duck or two would also be a wonderful deterrent, develop an open compost heap, it will be a haven for wildlife and invertebrates.

Not making our gardens quite so tidy can provide habitats for many small creature and insects.

She referred to the perfectly manicured lawn as being a dessert for wildlife.

Try to allow one area of grass to grow taller, grow wild flowers and the Brown Bumble Bee, an endangered species, will be very grateful.

Advice on building the correct size of nesting boxes for various birds can be obtained from Sussex Wildlife Trust.

A pond not only brings tranquility, it provides accommodation for frogs, toads, newts and dragonflys. Ponds 4-5 meters square are a good size sited in a sunny spot planted with waterlilly's or similar to provide shade, but even a bucket filled with rainwater will soon attract activity.

Borders planted with sedums, foxgloves plants from the daisy and nettle families are all an invaluable source of food for insects and butterflies as are trees bearing seed, nuts and berries.

Veronica certainly gave us a great deal to think about during these grey February days while planning this year's garden and perhaps we can all try to make a contribution to wildlife habitat and enhance our own at the same time.

Our next meeting is on Thursday, March 22, at 7.30pm in Jubilee Hall, Chalcraft Lane, North Bersted. The speaker will be Mark Saunders '“ Growing Vegetables for Show and the Table.

Entrance 1 members 1.50 for visitors to include tea, coffee, raffle ticket and a warm welcome.

As our spring show is coming up shortly, March 31, 2 -4.30pm, prize giving 4pm, this will provide tips and inspiration to us all.

We would like to make an appeal to anyone who may know the whereabouts of our two large canvas banners on which we advertise our shows.

They disappeared during the advertising of our autumn show last year and are expensive to replace.

Please phone Tony Newman on 01243 870629 if you have any information about them.