September 2022
The much-anticipated rain in early September, after the interminably long dry summer, threatened to spoil the annual Horticultural Show and Fete but fortunately the weather was fine on the day. It was very pleasing to see a good number of entries again this year, considering the difficult growing season. The main marquee was very colourful with good displays of fruit and vegetables, flowers, cakes, preserves and handicrafts. The children’s classes were well represented, with some wonderful creations. Well done to everyone who entered. We are very keen to continue to hold this traditional show and acknowledge the support of Sawston residents. It will be held again on Saturday 2nd September 2023.
This year’s trophies were presented by our Patron, the High Sheriff of Cambridgeshire, Jennifer Crompton:
- Trustees Trophy (most points in fruit and vegetable classes): Mrs K Wells
- Garden News Trophy (best exhibit in fruit and vegetable section): Mrs K Wells
- Frank Matthews Trophy (best exhibit in domestic classes): Helena Marsh
- Mary Challis Trophy (best floral exhibit): Rodney Peck
- WI Trophy (best handicraft exhibit): Judy Saunders
- Sue Reeve Trophy (best exhibit in 8–12 age group): Sophie Macfarlane
- John Falkner Trophy (best exhibit in 7-and-under age): Jessica Kent
- Chair’s Trophy (family with most points in show): Mr & Mrs Wells
- Norman Carver Trophy (best exhibit in Show): Judy Saunders
Congratulations to all the winners. Mrs K Wells swept the board in the fruit and vegetable section, winning both trophies, and the Wells family also recorded the highest number of points in the show. Very well done to them. Judy Saunders deserves special mention for again winning the best handicraft exhibit and the best in show – for the third year running – proving she’s no one-hit wonder! Our congratulations also go to Sophie Macfarlane and Jessica Kent for again producing the best exhibits in the 8–12 years and 7-and-under age groups.
Some of our regular stallholders were unable to attend the show so we were very pleased to welcome some newcomers: Tina Bone (fine arts), Liz Taylor (The Silver Bird jewellery) and local artist Fran Godwood. Many thanks to Sawston Steel Band for providing live music through the afternoon and to the many organisations and individuals who attended the show, including the Royal British Legion, Wool’n’Tea handicrafts, Pippa’s Cards, Morsbags, Timebank and Eleanor Clapp (who brought her spinning wheel). Andy Jackson’s produce auction always attracts a lot of attention and provided some good entertainment to round off the afternoon.
Work has resumed on our new garden building following final approval from the local planning department. A rainwater soakaway has been installed and construction of the roof is in progress. The immediate aim is to get the building watertight before winter sets in and then continue with interior works. Once the roof is on, scaffolding can be removed and we should be able to reuse the main gate again to enter the garden.
Visitors to the Horticultural Show will have noticed the new block-paving path leading to the main gate. This has been installed to improve access for disabled visitors, mobility scooters and pushchairs. Sawston Fun Run made a generous contribution to the cost of this work, which we gratefully acknowledge.
The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Exhibition in Challis House proved very popular and was consequently extended to the end of September. The purple bunting at the front of the house was removed out of respect to the Queen. The exhibition won’t be taken down immediately so can still be viewed, for the foreseeable future, during normal museum opening times 10 am to 12 noon on Tuesdays.
The last event of the season is our popular Spooky Saturday Hallowe’en event on Saturday 29th October from 10am to noon. We look forward to seeing you there.
The dry summer has taken its toll in the garden. Many herbaceous perennials and annual bedding plants did not thrive, leaving empty spaces in the main beds. These will be replaced by dividing large clumps and infilling where necessary. The lawns have recovered remarkably quickly following recent heavy rainfall and we will have to resume mowing. Plant highlights in September are undoubtedly the Marvel of Peru (or four o’clock plant), Mirabilis jalapa and the Crinum or swamp lily Crinum moorei that welcomes you as you enter the Garden. Mirabilis jalapa grows along the main path from house, with multi-coloured tubular flowers that open early morning and late afternoon. Do have a close look at this when you pass. It readily self-seeds from its large black seeds that germinate in the spring and can also over-winter in milder conditions due to its deep swollen roots. A good doer, as Monty Don would say. We have seed available if you want to try some in your own gardens – just ask!
Dahlias and penstemons will continue to flower up to the first frosts, with asters, sedums and cyclamens going through to November. There is always plenty to look at. Although many leaves have dried up and dropped early due to the dry conditions, most trees should still develop good autumn colours.
Despite the lack of rain, our apples have produced bumper crops, especially Cox’s, Worcester Pearmain, Discovery and Bramleys. We aim to produce some apple juice this year. If you have any surplus apples, please consider donating them for juicing.
Mike Redshaw
Published in the October–November 2022 Sawston Scene
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July 2022
June and July proved to be a very busy period for the Challis Trust, starting with the Queen’s Jubilee Exhibition at the beginning of the month, which has proved to be very popular. To date, more than four hundred visitors have enjoyed the exhibition in the Challis House, with a lot of enthusiastic and constructive feedback. If there is sufficient ongoing interest, we may extend the exhibition into August. Thanks to everyone involved in setting this up and to the many people who paid us a visit.
On the first Sunday in July, the Challis Garden joined five other gardens in the village to open for the National Garden Scheme (NGS). The weather was kind and some hundred and eighty people toured the gardens. It was very pleasing to see two new gardens this year, including a late entrant in Wynemares at the bottom of Common Lane, adding to the mix. The event raised a very satisfactory £1,330 for the ngs, which relies entirely on donations from garden visits for its income. These funds are distributed to a number of important caring and nursing charities, including Marie Curie, Macmillan Cancer Support, Hospice UK, Carers Trust, The Queen’s Nursing Institute and Parkinson’s UK. The ngs raises over £3 million annually and has already recorded over £2 million so far this year, so may be in for a record sum, which is great news. The Challis Trust are very pleased to support this charity.
We are always looking for new gardens for the Sawston Village group. If any Sawston gardeners are inspired to join us, please contact Mike Redshaw at mjredshaw@hotmail.co.uk. New gardens can join at any time, but to have your garden listed in the ngs annual ‘yellow’ handbook for 2023, you need to complete registration by the end of August.
We were delighted to host the Half Cut Theatre group again on 9th and 10th July, for the end of their summer tour of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing. It was a very enjoyable and professional production, from a talented young group. They entertained about four hundred people with three performances over the weekend in glorious summer weather – perhaps a bit too hot for some! The Pimms stand was very busy. We look forward to them returning next year with another ‘half-cut’ Shakespeare offering.
Another event to look forward to is a concert by Newmarket Town Band on Sunday 7th August from 2.30pm to 4.30pm. Gates open as usual at 2pm. Refreshments will be served by the Royal British Legion, who are sponsoring this event. This is the first time we have had a town band performing in the garden: we hope you enjoy the music and the weather behaves itself. Please bring your own chairs, if possible. Picnics welcome.
The Trust has decided to continue combining our annual fete with the Horticultural Show in September, rather than running separate events. There is a wide range of classes to enter – whether you bake, grow your own fruit and veg, arrange flowers, make preserves, knit, stitch, sew, paint or take photos – there is something for everyone. We are particularly keen to see more entries from children: there are five classes in two age groups – seven years and under and eight to twelve years old. The show takes place on Saturday 3rd September, with staging from 9am to 10.45am, judging at 11am, open from 2am to 4.30pm. Entry is £1 per adult. The schedule for the show, including the list of classes and entry forms, will be available from the Challis Garden and dispensers at the two allotment sites, or online at www.challistrust.org.uk. Please return entry slips to the Challis Garden or online by Thursday 1st September – late entries will not be accepted. Don’t forget our popular auction of produce, immediately after the trophy presentations. Do bring plenty of cash as we can’t yet accept card payments!
Our garden plants are looking somewhat stressed at present, due to the long dry spell and exceptionally high temperatures in mid-July. The conditions mean less mowing and weeding but lots of watering. Fortunately we have a borehole on site and can water freely. If current trends continue in the future, we will have to consider installing an irrigation system.
Our garden volunteers and museum stewards, along with the trustees, have worked very hard to maintain the garden to a high standard, stage a very professional exhibition, run events and host visiting groups. Sincere thanks to everyone involved in making the Challis House and Garden such an asset to the village. That said, we could always use more help; if you are interested in volunteering with us, there are opportunities for garden volunteers, Sunday stewards, archivists, event helpers, museum stewards, caterers and cleaners. Do come along for a chat to see how you could help.
The Challis Trust is due to receive a donation of £1,000 from Sawston Fun Run, which we gratefully acknowledge, as a contribution to improving disabled access into the garden. Mike Redshaw
Read MoreMay 2022
It was wonderful to see so many people attending our first event of the year, the Children’s Easter Activities Morning on 16th April. Graced by some good spring weather and lots of happy children, it was a joy to be there. Great, too, to see so many new families joining in. All the activities were well attended, especially face-painting, decorating flowerpots and the nature trail. Thank you to everyone who came and to the many volunteers for helping out. Special thanks for those who contributed to the Ukraine appeal by painting pebbles in the national colours: your donations raised £41 for the DEC Ukraine fund. The pebbles have been arranged as a spiral in the garden – do have a look to see if you can find yours.
There are a number of events coming up in the next period. In June, we are mounting an exhibition in the Challis House as part of the village celebrations for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee from Thursday 2nd to Sunday 5th. This celebrates the life and reign of our queen, featuring her coronation and previous jubilees, as well as those of Queen Victoria and King George V. Royal visits to Sawston and Sawstonians who have met the queen or have received royal honours are also featured. A number of MBEs, OBEs and knighthoods have been bestowed on Sawstonians – come and learn more about them. The exhibition is open from 10am to 12 noon on 2nd to 4th June and from 2pm to 4pm on 5th June. After the Platinum Jubilee holiday, the exhibition will continue every Tuesday and Saturday from 10am to 12 noon throughout June. The garden will also be open when the exhibition is running.
In July, the Challis Garden will open along with four other Sawston gardens in support of the National Garden Scheme. This village group opening is on Sunday 3rd July from 1pm to 5pm. Homemade tea and cakes will be served in the Challis Garden from 1.30pm to 4pm. More details are given on page 7 of this issue.
We are delighted to welcome back Half Cut Theatre to the garden on the weekend of 9th and 10th July for three performances of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing. Following their entertaining – if not hilarious – visits last year with Twelfth Night and Treasure Island, this is likely to be very popular. Do book early – see page 27 for details. The gates open an hour before each performance, so there’s time to socialise and picnic beforehand. Please bring your own seats. Cold drinks will be available in the garden.
Spring seemed to arrive early this year, spurred on by early warm weather. However, the exceptionally dry conditions in April and early May set back early growth and some plants suffered from some late frosts. Fortunately, the fruit blossom appears to have escaped any damage and has set well. We look forward to some good fruit crops this autumn. Our vegetable plot is looking good now, with beans, peas, potatoes, garlic, beetroot, carrots and leeks well established. Barring any cold weather, more sensitive crops (tomatoes, courgettes, salads, runner beans) will be planted out in late May.
The garden team have been busy raising bedding plants, now being hardened off in cold frames before planting out in the herbaceous beds, including begonias, geraniums, echium, cosmos, zinnia, salvias and rudbeckia. Most hardy perennials are developing well, though our dahlias appear to be rather late this year. The rainfall in mid-May should help them to catch up. We are very occupied now keeping up with weeding, mowing, strimming, watering and manuring. It’s a busy time of the year, requiring lots of labour. Fortunately, we have a lot of enthusiastic volunteers – but there is always room for more. If you are interested in joining our gardening team, please come along for a chat.
Early build-up of caterpillars is causing some damage. Spindle trees are infested with ‘webbing’ caterpillars of the spindle ermine moth. These are controlled by hand-picking and squishing – definitely not for the squeamish! A few of our box bushes are being attacked by box moth caterpillars, a new invasive species in the UK. Control measures include power-spraying to literally knock the caterpillars off the branches and spraying with a biological insecticide, a bacteria that infects the caterpillars – a better option than using chemicals. Hopefully, this will keep the problem under control.
Observant passers-by will have noticed that we have applied mulch to the front garden on the High Street. We have used strulch, a mineralised straw mulch much lauded in the gardening journals. This helps to suppress weeds, retains moisture and gradually releases minerals to the soil, as well as being a natural deterrent to slugs and snails. We haven’t used it before, but it sounds good: let’s see how it performs. We hope you have enjoyed the displays of daffodils and tulips in the front garden that will improve with time. The colours chosen for this planting compliments the laburnum, which is in full flower at the time of writing.
Mike Redshaw
Read MorePlatinum Jubilee Exhibition
We are delighted to announce the first post-Covid exhibition at the Challis Museum. It will be held in early June (opening dates in the next edition of Sawston Scene and on the noticeboard outside the house). We are mounting an exhibition which will celebrate the life and reign of the Queen, featuring:
- her life and reign
- her Prime Ministers
- her previous jubilees
- royal visits to Sawston
- Sawstonians who have met the Queen or have received Royal honours
- Sawston Coronation celebrations
- Sawstonians celebrating the Silver Jubilee
- Jubilees of Queen Victoria and King George V
- How Sawston has changed during the Queen’s reign
We have delved into our archives for documents, publications and items and following our appeal in the last edition of Sawston Scene, and have received several kind offers to loan or donate royal artefacts. If you have any items you would be prepared to loan us for the exhibition, please contact chair@challistrust.org.uk
Read MoreMarch 2022
We were lucky to avoid any serious damage in the garden during the winter storms. Fortunately we had some tree work carried out at the beginning of February to remove over-extended branches that might well have come down in the strong winds. Our tree surgeons will be back again to complete their work pending approval from the local Tree Officer. The winds did dislodge a drone that had been stuck in one of the large sycamores for at least three years – it hasn’t been spotted since. Thank you, Storm Eunice!
The relatively mild weather has allowed us to keep up with seasonal tasks in the garden, so we are well on top of the work. There were excellent displays of snowdrops, aconites and crocuses through February and March. Daffodils should be at their best in April, followed by tulips and crown imperial lilies in May. Hellebores are also showing well and will continue into April.
Winter and spring-flowering shrubs performed very well again this year, emitting their wonderful fragrances as you walk through the garden. The dogwood stems appear to be breaking into leaf very early, in March, and will need to be cut back soon. Do drop in to have a look at these colourful displays before they go. You can also enjoy the spring blossom on ornamental cherries, plums, damsons and apple trees.
On warmer days, look out for brimstone butterflies, bumblebee queens and – a favourite of mine – the hairy-footed flower-bee. This one looks like a small bumblebee but is actually one of our native solitary bees. The males and females are very different in appearance. They fly fast and low over the ground vegetation, feeding on early flowering plants such as Pulmonaria, yellow archangel and comfrey. Look for these along the winter/spring border.
There are plenty of other signs of spring to be seen. Birds are clearly showing signs of nesting now, especially thrushes, tits, goldcrests, wrens, woodpeckers, doves and pigeons. Many of these nest in the garden. Summer migrants will start to arrive soon, including blackcaps, chiffchaffs, swallows and house martins. There are lots of newts in our pond, but we rarely see any frogs or toads, which we would like to encourage. Fingers crossed they breed this year.
The wildflower meadow in the middle of the main lawn will be marked out and fenced off at the end of March to allow the flowers to regenerate. This is a real focal point in the garden, with a succession of native wildflowers and grasses through the summer months, attracting many butterflies, bees and other pollinators. We have recently planted a small section of native hedgerow plants – hawthorn, blackthorn, spindle and hazel – along the south boundary, which in time will provide shelter and food for rodents, amphibians and foraging insects and a place for birds to nest.
Looking forward to our annual events, first up is the Easter Saturday Children’s Event from 10am to 12 noon on 16th April. All the usual activities will be there, including an Easter-themed trail, crafts, picture painting, face-painting and garden games. Come along and join in the fun. For the adults, M C Teas will be serving tea and cakes from the house plus soups from Andy’s kitchen.
We are planning an exhibition in the house to commemorate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, which will be open over the four days of the extended holiday period. If you have any memorabilia of the Queen or her coronation or wedding, we would be pleased to display these in the exhibition. We would also welcome any recollections and photographs from Sawstonians who have met or seen the Queen. Please get in touch if you have anything we could use.
The main garden gate is still out of use due to the ongoing building work, and will be for the foreseeable future. We apologise for any inconvenience this is causing but please continue to use the side gate directly behind Billson’s.
There is still some stock of seasoned firewood for sale from the garden. Hopefully we have seen the last of this winter’s cold spells, but if you do need any logs please let us know. We are busy stocking up with fresh material for next winter, which will gradually dry out over the summer months. Remember we always have honey, preserves, fresh produce, notelets, tea towels and plants available. Do check what’s on offer next time you visit. We look forward to seeing many of you in the garden this year. Mike Redshaw
Published in Sawston Scene, April–May 2022
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