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The Edible Garden Show

27 Jan 2010

‘First Lady’ of allotments supports The Edible Garden Show

Inspirational ‘First Lady’ of allotments and ‘Pride of Britain’ winner Eunice McGhie-Belgrave MBE is backing UK’s ultimate ‘Grow Your Own’ event – The Edible Garden Show.

Eunice, who has inspired countless children to grow and cook their own vegetables, has given her full support to the first-ever national show dedicated exclusively to ‘Grow Your Own’ fruit and vegetables.

This amazing 75-year-old community worker was joined today (Wednesday 27th January) by youngsters from Birmingham’s Rookery Primary School at the Shades of Black allotments in Handsworth to promote The Edible Garden Show.

Eunice gave the schoolchildren a master class in home-grown vegetables during the show’s official press launch.

Eunice says: “I’m delighted to support this fantastic new event. It’s high time the gardening world had a national show to celebrate the work of gardeners who grow their own fruit and vegetables. I know how popular ‘Grow Your Own’ is with the public and I’m sure there will be terrific support for the show.”

The Edible Garden Show is being staged at Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire, from March 19-21 2010.

Eunice has become a cult figure in Midlands’ gardening circles since she launched the Shades of Black allotments project in 1985 to heal and unite an area devastated by the Handsworth riots. She was awarded an MBE in 2002 for her work and last year won the Daily Mirror ‘Pride of Britain’ award.

Her thriving allotments scheme introduces city youngsters to the joy of growing their own food. Teachers and pupils from Rookery Primary School make regular visits to her Handsworth allotments to learn about gardening. And produce from the allotments is distributed to elderly people and local day care centres.

Just as Eunice continues to encourage young people to develop horticultural skills alongside their academic work, The Edible Garden Show 2010 is dedicated to providing a one-stop-shop for anyone harbouring an inner desire and passion to grow their own fruit and vegetables.

As UK’s first-ever national garden show launched amid the phenomenal explosion of interest in home-grown food, The Edible Garden Show is a ‘must-see’ event for seasoned gardeners and complete novices.

The show has already won official endorsements from two of the most high-profile organisations in the gardening and agriculture world – the National Society of Allotment and Leisure Gardeners (NSALG), which boasts 103,000 members in the UK at over 2,000 allotment societies, and the Royal Agricultural Society of England.

The National Federation of Women’s Institutes are also supporting the show with cookery demonstrations to be conducted at the event by the WI’s National Cookery School.

For further details about the show including information for exhibitors and visitors, including ticket prices and opening times, visit: www.theediblegardenshow.co.uk

Media Contact: Paul Smith Associates
Tel: 00 44 (0) 1420 22532; email: theediblegardenshow@paulsmithassociates.co.uk

For exhibitor, sponsor and visitor information go to www.theediblegardenshow.co.uk
For tickets please call 0871 231 0847.
For sponsorship and exhibiting please contact Anna Campagnoli on 07876 338400 or email anna@theediblegardenshow.co.uk