COMPETITION is hotting up for this year’s Bowes Show as people get ready to take part in a new “tallest sunflower” class.
It’s an even playing field for young and old who, for a 50p entry, will get a pot and two sunflower seeds to grow this summer, ahead of the show on Saturday, September 14. Chairman Malcolm Wood, who announced the new class, said: “I think it is a great idea. It has created a lot of enthusiasm and a lot of competition. It has gone mad – everyone wants to take part.”
Pots for the competition were donated by Ravensworth Nurseries and the seeds provided by the show’s horticulture co-ordinator Denise Marmont, who also runs Muscari Floristry. She said each entrant receives two seeds in case one does not take and all are the same variety to ensure fairness.
It will be up to entrants to use their own greenfingers to grow the winning sunflower.
The class is in addition to the potato section for children, which sees potatoes, also provided by Ravesworth Nurseries, grown during the summer with the child producing the heaviest bag at the time of the show declared the winner. Ms Marmont added: “We also have a lovely scarecrow class which can be entered as a group or individually. There’s fun for all.”
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![A COUNTY councillor is backing a campaign to get a pedestrian crossing in Staindrop. Frustrated parish councillors in the village summoned their county council representative Cllr George Richardson to their latest meeting to discuss several issues, including the call for a safe way to cross the A688. Earlier this year their request for a crossing was turned down by the county council’s highways officers. Parish council chairman Jonothan Raper described the reasons for the refusal as “spurious” and called on Cllr Richardson to support their campaign. He added: “One of the arguments they made was there is no clear line of desire when they studied the village – well this isn’t a clear line of desire because there isn’t a crossing, people cross whenever they can. “When the lollipop person was there, one of the things I noticed was people would walk all the way down to the lollipop person to cross the road to go to the shop or to go to the school.” He added a problem of parking at the primary school is exacerbated because people are too afraid to walk their children across the road. Cllr Richardson said he had supported previous attempts for a crossing point with the first being made about 15 years ago. He added: “We went fairly well down the road with that and they looked into it. The only recommended place was where the bus stop is and to get the visibility splays, people on the other side of the road would lose their parking. “That didn’t go down well so it just died a death.” Cllr Raper said he suspected the real reason for the officers’ refusal was the cost of installing a crossing. He added that much of the cost could be recovered from savings made on not having to employ a lollipop patrol. Cllr Raper said: “A lollipop person only provides a benefit of crossing for three hours of the day. You are getting 21 extra hours of crossing time [with a pedestrian crossing].” Cllr Richardson said he would raise the issue with the county council’s cabinet member for highways, Cllr John Shuttleworth.](https://teesdalemercury.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/georgeR-120x86.jpg)
