2011 Isle of Wight Spring Garden Show A "Blooming" Success!

Nearly 10,000 people flocked to Robin Hill over the warm and sunny Easter weekend to attend the fifth Isle of Wight Spring Garden Show, hosted at the park by Isle of Wight Radio.

A huge array of plant nurseries and garden related businesses from all over the Island and the UK were in attendance to give gardening fanatics a great choice of plants and products to take home for their own gardens. John Trott from Mendip Bonzai took home the covetted Wightlink Floral Trophy to Somerset with an outstanding display of specimins in the Wightlink Floral marquee, but the competition was close with the other 16 nurseries not far behind on the judges scoring sheet.

Emma Mccardle was crowned the IW County Press Masterchef champion in the Southern Co-ops Food theatre which was another high-light of Robin Hill's showcase spring event. The whole weekend saw the theatre packed with spectators watching the chefs at action in the theatre, all cooking with local produce including the Island's Mitchelin star chef Robert Thompson and TV masterchef judge Amy Wilcock.

Six of the UK's top chainsaw sculptors sent the dust flying for 3 days in the third Robin Hill Chainsaw Carve off. On Monday, Guido Oakley's sculpure "Siren of the Sea" was chosen as the outright winner by local celebrity Geoff Hughes and Wightlink's marketing manager Kerry Jackson. The mermaid sculpture went onto fetch £900 at the auction that followed, with 50% going to the Isle of Wight Earl Mountbatten Hospice. In all over £3300 was raised for the Hospice over the weekend through the auction and via other fundraising stalls.

The new World of Wine marquee (sponsored by Majestic Wine) and the Healthy Lifestyle Marquee (in association with Nova Lifestyles) were also popular additions to the ever changing spring event and were well supported.

The Robin Hill team would like to thank all the sponsors and businesses that got involved this year who helped make the event such an incredible success. Plans are already starting for the 2012 event and if you want to get involved at an early stage then feel free to call Darren or James at the show office on 01983 556050 for a chat.