To celebrate its 100th show which took place in July this year, the Alderley Edge and Wilmslow Horticultural Society teamed up with the local rangers and Friends of The Carrs to plant a copper beech tree in The Carrs.
The tree planting in the park on Thursday, 8th December, was attended by members of the Horticultural Show Committee, Wilmslow Town Council, Cheshire East Council, and Friends of the Carrs.
Details of the very first show have been lost, but the earliest record from the 1897 show schedule, published by the Alderley Edge and Wilmslow Horticultural Society, makes reference to a 'Past President' suggesting that this was not the first Show. This means that the show has been held for at least 114 years though, because of gaps during the war years of the 20th century, the 2011 show was in fact the 100th.
Originally the society staged a large horticultural show in the Harden Park area, known as the Alderley Show and reputed to be the largest one day show in the country. The show then moved for two years to the Legion Hall in Wilmslow, then to the playing fields off Altrincham Road before finally moving to Wilmslow High School in 2000. The committee now consists of 11 members, who organize the annual show which is held in conjunction with what is known as the Wilmslow Show.
The hundredth show, held 2011, was a great success and broke all attendance records – with around 7,000 visitors it was possibly the biggest event ever held in Wilmslow, providing a focal point and allowing many of the local voluntary and charitable bodies to raise funds and bring their presence and activities to the attention of the Wilmslow and wider community.
Chairman of the Wilmslow Show Frank McCarthy, who has been a member of the Horticultural Society for the past seventeen years, is arranging for a plaque to be placed at the tree at a later date. The plaque will read "This tree commemorates the holding of the 100th show of the Alderley Edge & Wilmslow Horticultural & Rose Society in July 2011".
Photo: Peter Robinson, chairman, and members of the committee of Wilmslow & Alderley Edge Horticultural & Rose Society (including Helen Yates of Incredible Edible and her young daughter) mark the 100th anniversary of the Society.
