Show entrants hope to prove they are the best in the West

Saturday was the last chance for people to enter the classes.

And it was busy time for the volunteers, who were taking the entries at St Peter’s Community Hall.

Yesterday afternoon organisers had still not completed listing all the entries received but were pleased with the level of interest.

St Saviour’s resident Helen Bradshaw, 80, was entering several classes.

For the three chutney class she entered apple and ginger, plum and apple, and smokey tomato.

Then for the marmalade class she had Seville orange and ginger, lemon and lime and orange and lemon. And for the jam class she is putting in her blackcurrant preserve,.

She has been entering the show for the last few years.

‘I just enjoy cooking,’ she said.

Luke Evans, 10, from St Peter’s, will be entering three plain gingebread men, a collage, five cookies and three decorated gingerbread men.

‘I think I will decorate with M&Ms and sprinkles,’ he said.

‘I enjoy the West Show because you get to see everyone’s entries.’

Retired minister the Rev. Richard Bellinger was returning his trophies from last year’s show on Saturday, as well as submitting 36 entries for this year’s.

He said it had been a hard year for growing because of the weather, and that meant the tomatoes were not looking great.

But some of his plants had still thrived.

‘In terms of what is looking best, there are the Victoria plums and the runner beans,’ he said.