Flower show plans dropped after overspend

WELCOME TO Yorkshire is scrapping its Chelsea Flower Show garden for 2020 after going £170,000 over budget on this year’s display.

The tourism agency had presented a garden at the event in London for 10 years in a row – with this year’s effort involving a canal lock built from reclaimed York stone, a lock keeper’s cottage, and authentic lock gates.

Garden designer Mark Gregory’s creation won a gold medal from the Royal Horticultural Society, while it was visited by a host of famous faces including the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

But it was revealed last week that the display – which took place during a sweeping investigation into expenses spending by senior managers – cost £250,000, making the final bill more than treble the original £80,000 budget.

New chairman Peter Box said WTY will not be appearing at Chelsea in 2020 – and would instead use the saved money for a new county-wide campaign.

“Our previous gardens have showcased the county to millions of people across the world and have won numerous top accolades,” he said. “However, all Welcome to

Yorkshire events and activities are being fully evaluated and if and when we decide to take another slice of Yorkshire to the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, the garden will be fully funded.”

He said the budget for Chelsea 2020 would be used instead on a “new, exciting, multi-platform campaign”.

YOUR SAY: Do you agree with the decision to skip Chelsea 2020?