IT’S ALL coming up roses in Feckenham after the village’s triennial flower show raised a staggering £10,000 for the local church, writes Ross Crawford.
The village received more than 2,000 paying visitors, including three coachloads – one all the way from Swansea – all to wander through the 37 open gardens, buy some of the plants for sale from local nurseries and to view the stunning flower display in St John the Baptist Church.
“Feckenham is a traditional village and there’s a huge sense of community and the entire village really pulled together to put this on,” said organiser Catherine Fisher.
“At the centre of it all is the parish church, this beautiful building, and whether you are a believer or not, everyone would want to see it still standing in hundreds of years time.”
However the village’s Catholic church isn’t left out either as it runs the pig roast to raise funds for its good causes too.
This year’s flower festival, over the weekend of May 16-17, was its 30th anniversary and it’s fast gaining a reputation as one of the best open garden events in the country.
“I think the secret of it all is that it’s only held once every three years which makes it a journey worth making for so many people,” said Catherine.
“Organising too is an enormous challenge which couldn’t be done with all our helpers, from the garden owners to the Redditch Explorer Scouts who help us – everyone pulls together to make it a tremendous success.”
