A BOROUGH gardening group, who this year celebrate their organisation’s 70th year, kicked off the anniversary with an entertaining evening of radio presenters and horticulturalists.
Twyford and Ruscombe Horticultural Association (TRHA)members hosted the recording of two live one-hour long BBC Radio 4 Gardener’s Question Time at Loddon Hall, Twyford, on Tuesday.
“The evening was a great success,” said Diane Thirtle, the association’s secretary.
“The knowledgeable and amusing panel of Matthew Biggs, Anne Swithinbank and Bunny Guinness was chaired by Peter Gibbs.
“A very enjoyable evening was had by the audience of more than 200 local gardeners.”
The GQT panel gathered in the Green Room for a formal cutting of the celebration cake before taking to the stage which was decorated with towers of daffodils made by the ladies of the Twyford and Ruscombe Floral Art Club.
The radio show has been a staple of the BBC Radio 4 schedule for more than 70 years, and has been answering the queries of amateur growers since 1947.
GQT visits a different town each week to meet local gardeners and growers, with a panel of celebrity experts taking questions from the audience about their horticulture horrors and garden disasters.
Listeners to the programme can learn growing hints and tips to keep their gardens, allotments, and house plants healthy.
Twyford & Ruscome Horticultural Association is run by volunteers, to promote gardening and allotment cultivation to members of all ages in the local community.
Members receive a monthly newsletter, can join day trips to regional gardens, and can take part in three horticultural shows a year.
The association also runs a Loddon Hall Road store that sells garden products at fair prices on Sunday mornings between the months of February and November.
The group supports Twyford in Bloom as well as organising its own events and activities, and is currently looking to welcome new members, interested in gardening, who want to meet new people and be part of the community.
The first of TRHA’s Loddon Hall BBC GQT recordings will be aired on Friday, April 4, with the other to be released in May.
For information, visit: trha.org.uk and bbc.co.uk/programmes
