Crowds flock to Ayr Flower Show as the sun shines

Aug 14 2009 by Yonnie McInnes

AYR Flower Show looks set to break all attendance records.

Throughout the three days of the show, held at Rozelle Estate, Ayr, the weather was warm with the first day, Friday, the sunniest.

John Walker, Ayrshire Horticultural Society chairman, said: “The 49th Ayr Flower Show was brilliant. We are still waiting for our visitor numbers to be verified but we would expect them to be up vastly from the 23,000 peope who attended last year.

“The sunshine was only part of the reason for this as a lot of hard work went on behind the scenes to improve visitor numbers.

“We are grateful to EventScotland for their support and the extra media profile their involvement allowed us to generate to let even more people know we were here this weekend. They also enabled us to extend our breadth of entertainment and activities.

“Next year, our 50th, the show’s theme wil be golden and it will be a golden opportunity for the whole community to come together again. Ayr Flower Show is very special to the town of Ayr and South Ayrshire as a whole.

“We want to thank the 380 volunteers and the many competitors who helped us to stage such a splendid show.

“Our trade judge commented that the cut flowers and vegetable section was the best in Britain, this year, as far as quality and display was concerned.”

“Now we’re all looking forward to next year.”

This year’s Ayr Flower Show featured a new Business Preview Evening hosted by South Ayrshire Council Provost Winifred Sloan and John Walker, chairman, Ayrshire Horticultural Society.

It was designed to give businesses an opportunity to think about opportunities which might exist to link their activities to the Flower Show.

The preview also provided an opportunity for businesses to network with each other and staff from the Council’s Enterprise Service, Business Club Scotland and Ayrshire Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Provost Winnie Sloan added: “Ayr Flower Show is a premier event, not just in the horticultural calendar, but also as a nationally recognised tourism event and its significance as a business opportunity cannot be underestimated.”

During the event Gordon Fisher, chairman, Solayr shared his vision to restore Belleisle Conservatory and launched an appeal.