A WARM welcome greeted visitors returning to the Bishops Lydeard Flower Show on Saturday.

The village hall was packed with vegetables, fruit, flowers and plants, floral art, cakes, jams and chutneys, handicraft, photography and art.

Flower show secretary Kate Foster said: “We are really lucky to have a large village hall in Bishops Lydeard which is a perfect space to host the annual flower show.

"It's encouraging that so many people have taken the time to enter the show this year and some for the first time.

"Perhaps lockdown has re-ignited our interest in our gardens and hobbies and the flower show is the perfect place to celebrate these talents."

A one-way system kept the visitors safe as they queued up to see an amazing 487 separate exhibits, including models of creatures made by the children of Bishop’ Lydeard Primary School.

Prizes were presented by Jane Durrant, the show secretary from 2002 until 2019.

PRIZE WINNERS.

The Mr and Mrs R. C. Hoyle Perpetual Challenge Cup: Graham Edwards (vegetable classes).

The Chris Lovell Memorial Cup: Clare Floyd (collection of salad vegetables).

The C. C. Keirle Perpetual Challenge Cup: Clare Rant (fruit classes).

The Connaught House School Perpetual Floral Cup: Anne Stockley (flower and plant classes).

The Stanley Burbidge Memorial Trophy: Anne Stockley (best patio container).

The John and Audrey Silke Challenge Cup: Mandy Layton (best hanging basket).

The Morris Perpetual Rose Bowl: Jane Fowler (most points in rose classes).

The Dom Saunders Perpetual Cup: Jane Fowler (best single specimen hybrid tea rose).

The Lee Perpetual Cup: Lizzie Livingstone (dahlia class).

The President's Perpetual Challenge Cup: Graham Edwards (vegetable, fruit, flower and plant classes).

The Ross Cup: Helen Weeks (floral art classes).

The Frances Chalke Cup: Kat Lewin-Harris (novice floral art class).

The Bishops Lydeard Women's Institute Perpetual Cup: Claire Sanford (most points by female entrant in domestic classes).

The Charlie Bond Cup: Martin Rant and Stephen Richards (most points by male entrant in domestic classes).

The Florence Grimstone Trophy: Emma Richards (best Victoria sandwich).

The Dorothy Vernon Perpetual Trophy: Linda Brady (best coffee and walnut cake).

The Florence Burbidge Memorial Trophy: Claire Sanford (handicraft classes).

The Triangle Trophy: Trish Aldridge (photography and art classes).

The Crittall Cup: Trish Aldridge (best photograph in show).

A Perpetual Cup: Ollie, Elanor Woods and Finley Corby (pre-school classes).

The Melhuish Cup: Amelia-May Luckett (children’s classes – Key Stage 1).

The Primary School Cup: Romilly Allen and William Chalkley (children’s classes – Key Stage 2).

A Perpetual Cup: Rosie Adams (children’s classes – Key Stages 3 and 4).

The Sanders Award: Amelia-May Luckett (£10 cash prize for most points in children’s classes).

Sir Arthur C. Clarke Trophy for creative writing: Rowan Russell (winner of class 101 from Year 6, Bishops Lydeard Primary School).

THe Village Hall Awards of Merit (for outstanding exhibits): Class 1 - Collection of 5 different vegetables - Clare Rant; Class 37 – Vase of 3 dahlias – Lizzie Livingstone; Class 51 - Floral Art, ‘Harvest Table Decoration’- Clare Floyd; Class 77 - Photography, ‘Somerset” – Trish Aldridge.