3rd February 2026
Dear Member,
Thank you to everyone who attended our AGM last Saturday (31st January 2026). I am pleased to announce committee members will be continuing in their roles.
- Helen Howard – Chair
- Caroline Morris – Treasurer
- Jill Thomas – Trading Shed and Membership Secretary
- Liz Kirton – Honorary Secretary
- Jo Wilson – Show Committee
- Chris Davison – Website manager
- We are delighted to welcome Paul Wheeler onto the Committee and look forward to working with him over the coming year.
Elizabeth Kirton (right) receives Banksian Medal
The highlight of the meeting was awarding Liz Kirton the Royal Horticultural Society Banksian Medal for her outstanding contribution to the Garden Society. She has been Secretary for many years and continues to attend every event we have. She is regularly at the trading shed, helping to raise funds by selling her wide collection of plants. Always ready to help out and answer any questions, Liz has done so much for the Society to keep it running. On behalf of the Committee and all our members, we thanked Liz for the commitment and dedication she has shown to the Society.
Minutes of the meeting will be available on the website.
Our Spring show is on Saturday 21st March at the Memorial Hall. I will be sending out the show guide very soon in a separate e-mail. Please show your support and have a go, as there is a class for everyone, and it is free for members and non-members. Anyone with a trophy from last year’s spring show, (trophy list attached), please return to the Trading shed, or get in touch beforehand. And don’t forget your mystery bulb entry. We will find out on the day whose is the best.
You will be pleased to know our membership price will remain at £5 per person for the year. This is very good value and the Wisley visit alone more than covers the cost. This year the visit will be on 13th June, kindly organised by Gillian Rose.
The Trading Shed is set to open on Saturday 21st February from 10-11.30am. There are still some bags of natural organic compost left. With the closure of the Compost Centre we have had the task of finding new suppliers. Various composts will be available at the shed, in order to find a good match at the best price. We will also have Westland farmyard manure on sale. More details will follow but it is probably best to pop along to the shed and see what there is, and have a chat with Jill, who will be able to update you on supplies.
Calling in to the shed will give you the chance to renew your membership. There will be perlite and vermiculite on sale for your seeds. All available in smaller bags so you only buy what you need, and don’t end up with a big surplus. This is a very good deal and far cheaper than elsewhere. Chicken manure will also be available, and I am reliably told it does not smell.
A group seed order will go in soon to Dobies to save on postage and make use of our membership discount code. Please contact Jill with any orders as soon as possible at jill@just2.me.uk. Last orders by 12th of February, with the aim of receiving the seeds by 21st February.
I have been contacted by Julie Dear a Forest school leader at Tweseldown Infant school (opposite Sainsbury’s). They are starting a school allotment and are looking for volunteers to help get them started with their fruit and veg. Anyone who would like to help please get in touch with me and I can forward your details to Julie. It would be great if we could create some community links with a local school. Tweseldown Infants is literally a stone’s throw from the Trading shed.
Christmas Workshop
On that note of community links, Jill and I attended the Church Crookham Community Centre Christmas Fair in December. We were promoting the Society and ran a free activity table while the children waited to see Father Christmas. We had them decorating pine cones, making Christmas wreaths and gonks. All of them were very happy with their creations which did look rather good. It was lovely to see so many children going home with something natural, rather than plastic. If anyone would like to help us promote the society or has ideas on what we could do, please get in touch.
Here is the link to the on-line 2026 NGS yellow book for Hampshire : Sorry, link unavailable (Ed). The map on page 24 shows around 15 gardens opening in the Farnham and Alton areas during the year and on page 7 there are details of seven gardens opening in February highlighting their snowdrop collections. Feel free to send me any photos or reports of any visits you do. We are always looking for items to fill the website page.
Dates for the Diary
- Saturday 21st February – Trading shed opening, every Saturday 10:00 til 11:30, Memorial Hall Car park, Sandy Lane, GU52 8LD
- Saturday 21st March – Spring Show – Memorial Hall, Sandy Lane
- Saturday 13th June – RHS Wisley Visit for members and guests
- Saturday 11th July – Summer Show – Church Crookham Community Centre, Boyce Road
Happy Gardening
Helen Howard