Let it always be there

This summer, in halls and marquees across the land, gardeners will gather for one of the most anticipated events in the community calendar: the village flower show. Ursula Buchan explains its enduring appeal

- Ursula Buchan

IN THE late 1980s, I was involved in the making of two series of programmes for Channel 4, entitled Village Show. We visited flower shows all over the kingdom, including one close to where I lived. I remember the director saying to me, with a melancholy shake of the head, that he didn't suppose that the particular village show we were filming - where I had recently been invited to judge the vegetable, flower and fruit classes - would survive more than another five years. I am pleased to say that he was wrong, and that in July I shall be judging at this still-popular show for the 35th consecutive year.