Pots of fun at the show!

RECORD numbers attended this year’s Southport Flower Show as the organisers put on a 90th anniversary extravaganza.

Despite poor weather on Friday, well in excess of 50,000 people attended over the four days at Victoria Park.

Strictly Come Dancing judge Bruno Tonioli revealed secrets of the hit BBC show as he opened the event on Thursday, kicking off a packed schedule of entertainment, displays and talks.

Among the celebrity guests were the Hairy Bikers; broadcasters Christine Walkden and Matthew Wilson; and authors Nigel Colborn and Adam Frost; while CBeebies star Justin Fletcher headlined the children’s entertainment.

To mark the 90th anniversary

of the show, visitors were given the chance journey into the past on Southport’s time travel bus, on a tour hosted by Coronation Street and Mr Selfridge actor Leon Ockenden.

As ever, the show gardens were a big attraction, while the Grand Floral Marquees showcased the best gardening creations from professionals and amateurs alike.

Planning will soon turn to next year’s event, with the theme now revealed to be Life in Bloom.

Flower show general manager Ray Roukin said: “It was a fantastic weekend. We had record numbers this year.

“Even with the wet weather on Friday, numbers were still up on last year. I spoke with traders on Saturday and they’d still had reasonable trade and the people who came on Friday are serious Southport Flower Show supporters, so everyone was satisfied.

“We had lots of memorabilia, we had the bus showing the film of the history. People were able to see pictures going back to the 1920s.

“After months of planning and hard work from the show’s volunteer board, the show gardens are now being cleared and the marquees dismantled. It will all soon start again though, with attention turning to the 2020 event within a matter of weeks.

“You have your sleepless nights, you worry about everything. That’s the nature of the beast because you’ve got 50,000 people coming to your party. We work with some fantastic people, all the exhibitors, the electricians, all the people you might not think of who do so much work.

“When people come in at 10am on Thursday, it all sees calm but there’s so much that goes on behind the scenes.”