Kimble and Ellesborough Horticultural Society

KEHS HISTORY – A DIP INTO THE ARCHIVES 1975 - 1983

We have very little information about the Kimble Horticultural Association apart from 1952 Show schedule which indicated that it continued in the same mould with the show including sporting events and the Society supported by numerous Vice Presidents, Honorary Members and a large Committee.  However, the Kimble Horticultural Society closed down in the 1960’s for reasons unknown.

The Founding of the Kimble Horticultural Society in 1975

In 1975 Jeffrey Cheetham, Henry Peplow & Jim Stacey decided that the villages of Great and Little Kimble and Marsh needed a new gardening society.  The first Committee meeting was held at Mr Cheetham’s garage in Askett on 8 September to formulate the rules.  A small Committee was formed with the four mandatory offices we have today: Mr. Cheetham (Chairman), Mr. Stacey (Treasurer), Mr. Peplow (Secretary) &. Messrs Mitton & Rees (joint Show Secretaries). 

The first Committee meeting was held on 18 September and the Minutes show that it dwelt on such matters as having regular speakers, ideas for fund-raising events such as a monthly raffle which they hoped would cover the cost of hiring the hall and benefits for members including bulk buying of goods such as seeds, plants, fertilizers and garden equipment which would be offered to members at a discount.  Although there were concerns about the financial commitments in setting up the Society, the founders were also committed to holding an Autumn Show.

Promotional leaflets were sent out and the first members meeting was held on 7 October at Stewart Hall.  This outlined that there would be monthly meetings with good speakers, the Society would be buying wholesale so members could buy at a discount, there would be a big Christmas raffle with prizes of £25, 15 and £10 with tickets to be sold around the village and the person selling the most winning a bottle of whisky.  The Society would also be joining the RHS which would make tickets for Wisley and Chelsea available to members and had already joined the Bucks Association of Horticultural Societies (BAHS).  Membership cost £1 and an extra 0.25p for a spouse with the carrot that this could easily by recouped by using the trading services.  On the back of these enticements, 82 residents were enrolled.

By the Committee meeting on 22 October, 97 members had joined, speakers were being booked on subjects such as allotments, the use of peat, dahlias and the freezing of vegetables.    It was decided that the annual Show should be held at Stewart Hall on Saturday 11 September and that only Members should be allowed to show.

The first monthly meeting was held on 4 November with Bernie Flay speaking on the Growing of Vegetables especially for Showing.  By this time 128 members had joined with many more expected.

Come the Committee Meeting  on 19 November, there was £102.32 in the current account and 143 members which was thought to be most satisfactory.  Planning commenced for the September Show and it was decided that there should not be any charges for entry into the Classes or Show in order to encourage members to enter.  Trophies were to be organised for the Show.  The Trading service was seen as an important benefit but there were still concerns about the funding and distribution of stock.

163 members had joined by the December Committee meeting.  Judges were being booked for the Show and the two Show Secretaries were preparing the schedule.  The Secretary was to look at purchasing 3 show trophies for the Class Winners.

The December monthly meeting was a Wine and Cheese social with music and dancing which proved very popular.

The role of the Secretary was still a very demanding one and he was clearly feeling the strain stating that the demands were causing “marital discord”.    He was responsible for all the correspondence and admin.  His duties included booking the speakers, organizing events and any publicity required.  He was responsible for the ordering, packaging and distribution of the trade stock. He was also regularly phoned by members seeking advice on what to grow and how and protested that as he was not an expert this was causing him some embarrassment!

While the importance of the Show was still the most important function, the new Association’s format was one that we would recognize today

Other Key Developments and Events

The activities of the Association continued to expand over the next few years and it became a very successful and important part of the local community.

1976

• The Committee had ambitious plans to develop the Society. It was agreed that there should be a quarterly newsletter and the Secretary should be responsible for this.  He was also to produce the Show Schedules and organize entry forms and certificates from RHS. 
• The Secretary was also made responsible for looking into the costs and options for organizing Society outings. The coach outings proved popular with three booked including to Wisley and The Rose Society. In addition, as a number of members had said they had had enough talks on vegetables, the Secretary agreed to try and involve them more and provide a wider variety. 
• Plans for the Show were also developing apace. The Committee decided to look at hiring a small marquee for the Show as Stewart hall would not be sufficient.  To offset some of the costs it was agreed to have a few side stalls. It was also agreed that the show schedule would carry some ads.  A large Show Committee was set up and by June raffle ticket had been printed and the lottery licence obtained. Show attractions were to include donkey rides,  name the doll, a tombola,  produce stall, freshly cooked doughnuts, a second hand book stall and a darts board. There were also  plans for a bingo run in the evening.  The Secretary was required to writing an article in Church magazine as well as the newsletter to members to promote show.  He also had  to write to all members to invite them and local children to exhibit.  It was decided that there should not be cash prizes at the Show for winners of classes but agreed that the Society should fund a Championship Cup.
• In September the first show was held in the Hall with a variety of stalls to raise funds for the Show  The show was a great success and further plans were made to expand it the next year and obtain medals from affiliated societies.
• In December a Cheese & Wine party with music was held with tickets costing £1. It was again very successful, making a profit of £21.
• Proposals for a more varied programme of speakers included a history of Bucks, a film show of the Aylesbury hunt, beagles, cheeses and wine and honey-making.
• The first full year since the Society was set up had been very successful with the funds standing at £261.58 and membership at 225.
• However, by now the Secretary was intimating that he might not stand for re-election as the role had become so onerous.

1977

• 1977 was the Queen's Silver Jubilee year and the Society played a prominent role by decorating St. Nicholas church with flowers, including the striking Queen's Coronation Crown which was placed on the font (see pic). The Society also entered a float for the village procession with a fete and a barn dance..
• Mr Cheetham organised a Horse Show and Gymkhana to raise funds for the Society.
• The Committee was expanded with the addition of Richard Bull and requests were made for more volunteers to help after the Show.
• As it was no longer feasible to use Mr Cheethams’s premises and the Trading section was seen as an important part of the Society, it was agreed to purchase a Trading Hut.

1978

• Mr Cheetham stood down and was replaced by Richard Bull as Chairman.
• The Society was very active with business in the new trading hut showing a good profit, excellent speakers and a visit to Wisley. The membership stood at 232.  
• The Committee discussed having a Spring Show but the Secretary said he was already overworked and could not take on the production of the Show schedules and entry forms as well as the Autumn ones.   The Secretary has hoped that a new Trading Secretary would be appointed but the Committee had been unable to find someone to assist him or someone else keen to take on the Secretary’s role if he resigned.

1979

• 1979 saw the Secretary retire. He was generally seen as having been the main stay of the Society and had worked very hard to make it the most successful Society in the villages. The new secretary was Mrs. Judi Hannaford and an additional Committee member was also appointed. 
• The annual show was held in a large marquee on the same day as the horse show. The show, held for the first time on a Sunday, proved to be a huge success with the Society seeing a large increase in its funds.

1980

• 1980 saw Jeffrey Cheetham became the Society’s first President while Richard Bull replaced him as Chair.
• The first Spring Show was held for members during the usual Tuesday evening meeting. This proved to be very successful and was the forerunner of our present Spring shows.
• The annual show in September was held on a Sunday at Stewart Hall, again with side shows, a beer tent & the Ellesborough Silver Band to make it like a village fete. Overall, t was seen as another successful year.
• However, membership was in decline due in part to people leaving the village. It stood at 150 and it was agreed a campaign should be run to recruit more members. There was also concern that fewer people were attending meetings while the cost of coach trips was becoming prohibitive.  It was decided to write to companies seeking sponsorship of the classes at the Show and to look at ways of raising money to run the Annual Show without deplete the Building Society account.

1981

• Plans were made to hold a Jumble Sale and Plant Sale to raise funds for the Annual Show. Ads were placed in the Bucks Herald asking for jumble and promoting the Sales. Members were asked to plant seed for the plant stall. This new event, held on a Saturday morning in early May, was so successful it was agreed it should be held annually to help with the expenses of running the Annual Show.
• While the Show was deemed a success, it was agreed that efforts needed to be made to attract more people.

1982

• A new trophy was given to the Society by Lloyds Bank specifically for entries in the Floral Arts section, reflecting its popularity in this era. In order to promote the Annual Show, it was decided that publicity placards should be placed on the verges near Stewart Hall.  The annual show was again another very successful event with over 500 entries despite poor weather.
• It was decided that there needed to be more focus on publicity and the new Committee member was made responsible for publicity which included dealing with posters, press ads and radio ads for the Show.
• A visit was planned for Colgraves Seed Nurseries, a pioneering commercial seed company which revolutionized the British ornamental bedding plant industry.

1983

• The AGM in 1983 saw the retirement of Richard Bull as chairman. He was replaced by Mervyn Rees while the new show secretary was Doreen Ellis.
• The Jumble and Plant Sale brought in a profit of £150. Plants were the biggest sellers and it was decided in future to concentrate on plants & produce.
• A visit was planned to the RHS gardens at Wisley.

During this period the new Association developed into something very much like we have today, both in terms of its structure and the introduction of the regular events we now enjoy.  Long-standing members will recognize some familiar names. The Shows continued to flourish with classes such as the Floral Art remaining very popular as well as the fruit, vegetable and domestic classes.

During much of this period the Committee consisted of just four elected posts but as the Society expanded its remit to include speakers, outings and a trading service the role of the Secretary in particular became extremely demanding and it was beginning to be recognized that more assistance was needed to handle the additional functions of the Society.

You can read more about these events and the key people involved in Mervyn Rees’s The Gardening Societies of the Kimbles and Ellesborough 1860-1996