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The Year in Review.

Wow, what a year it has been for the RGA! We are so grateful for all the support and participation we have received from our members and the community. Let’s take a look back at some of the highlights of 2023 and get ready for an even more exciting 2024!

We had a blast at our all of our Shows, where we saw some amazing entries from local gardeners and artists. We were especially delighted to have Abbey Pre-school join us and display their creative work. Their art was a hit with the visitors and added a lot of charm to the shows. If you are part of a local club or group and want to showcase your talents, don’t hesitate to contact our Show Secretary at [email protected]. We would love to have you on board and help you get more exposure in the community.

We also had a lot of fun at our charity quiz in April, where we raised £100 for the Dover RNLI. Thank you to everyone who came and tested their knowledge. The quiz will be back in 2024, so get ready to challenge your friends and family and win some prizes!

AGM

Our AGM was held on 28 October, along with a coffee morning. It was a great opportunity for our members to catch up, learn about the club’s activities and plans, and welcome some new faces to the committee. We are thrilled to have a new Treasurer and a new committee member join us. They bring a lot of enthusiasm and expertise to the team.

The RGA is always open to new members, whether you are an experienced gardener or just starting out. We offer a friendly and supportive environment where you can learn, share, and enjoy gardening with like-minded people. Membership is only £2.50 per year, and it gives you access to all our events and benefits. If you haven’t renewed your membership yet, please do so as soon as possible. You can renew at any of our events.

Christmas Party: December 9, 19:00, River Village Hall

Speaking of events, we have one more coming up this year: our Christmas Party!

https://rivergardeners.com/event/christmas-party

This is going to be a fabulous night of food, drinks, live music, and dancing. We have some talented musicians lined up for you: Hannah Estelle, Anje Howie, and Megan Bannister. They will keep you entertained and get you in the festive mood. Tickets are only £6.50 per person, and they are selling fast. You can buy them online at here. You can book a table of up to eight people and bring your own food and drink. We will also provide a complimentary glass of mulled wine and a mince pie on entry.

Book Tickets

Our Events for next year:

We hope to see you there and celebrate the end of a wonderful year with you. And don’t forget to mark your calendars for our events in 2024:

Coffee Morning: 17 February 2024

Spring Show: 23 March 2024

Quiz: 13 April 2024

Subscribe to our Events Calendar, and never miss an event again – here.

Thank you for being part of our club and making it such a success. We wish you all a merry Christmas and a happy new year!

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Spring Report

Our first major event for 2023 was the Spring Show, which, despite the difficult weather conditions, was a success. We were down on entries in Flowers, Vegetables and fruit, however Photography, craft and cooking classes were well-supported. Our continued out-reach with local schools helped to increase the Photography entries (thanks to Astor College) and art-work from local primary schools (thanks to Temple Ewell Primary School, Elms Primary School, White-cliffs Primary and Lydden primary school.) We also had exhibits from a local Cub-scouts group. If your school or club would like to get involved and showcase their work at our shows (It’s FREE), please contact our Show Secretary (Bev) on: [email protected]

“Back by popular Demand” – We held our fun, family friendly Quiz on 22nd April, which was well attended. The winning team chose to donate the proceeds of £100.00 to the Dover RNLI. We are hoping to host another quiz in the near future – keep an eye on our website (or our Rivall newsletter) for details.

Figure 1: some of RGA committee presenting proceeds to RNLI Dover representatives

Figure 2: Quiz Winning Team

Upcoming River Gardeners’ Events

All events held at River Village Hall. We hope to see you at some of these events.

  • Summer Show – 08 July 2023 – public entry 14:00
  • River Fete – 16 July 2023 – RGA stall
  • Autumn Show – 16 Sept 2023 – Public entry 14:00

We are also planning to host our first Wine & Cheese evening, details to follow shortly. (pre-booking will be essential)

Events from our Friends

We are also supporting other local Gardening Clubs:-

TEDPA – Summer Show – Saturday 22nd July 2023 opens at 2pm in Temple Ewell Village Hall

Whitfield Gardeners – Summer Show – Saturday 15th July 2023 opens at 2:30pm in Whitfield Village Hall

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2023 Dates for your Diary

List of 2023 event dates are below.

Event NameDateTimeLocation
Coffee Afternoon18 Feb 202314:00 – 16:00River Village Hall
Spring Show01 April 202314:00 – 16:00River Village Hall
Quiz22 April 202319:00 till lateRiver Village Hall
Summer Show08 July 202314:00 – 16:00River Village Hall
Autumn Show16 Sept 202314:00 – 16:00River Village Hall
Seed Swap23 Sept 2023TBC156 Lower Road, River
AGM / Coffee Afternoon14 Oct 202314:00 – 16:00River Village Hall
Members Christmas Party09 Dec 2023TBCRiver Village Hall

All events will be published with full details on our Events page nearer to each event.

Subscribe to our Events Calendar here

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“Virtual Spring Show”

With the COVID-19 Pandemic precautions forcing the cancellation of our Spring Show (due to take place on 04 April 2020) we have decided to host a “Virtual” Spring Show – Exhibitors, Visitors and the wider community were asked to send in Photos and Content for all to enjoy from the safety of your own home. We would like to Thank all those who have contributed and made such a good effort, specifically the Astor College Photography Department who’ve sent in many contributions and Judge Mr C Allen of Gateway Camera Club.

Sit back, relax and click on “Read More below” to feast your eyes on Spring!

Virtual Spring Show 2020

Or click the link: https://spark.adobe.com/page/rQ3VJTR6NETJb/

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Photography Competition 2020

Back by Popular demand!

Following the success of our Photography classes last year, we have improved and further expanded the categories available for 2020 in our Amateur Photography Competition.

With the New Year underway, now is the perfect time to set yourself some new photography challenges and push your creative imagination in our Fun, Free Photography Competition! We’ve chosen a broad range of categories from nature, urban environment, animals, aquatics and sports to suit photographers of any level.

Need some tips? check out this article from “Photography Life.“

Q & A

Do I need to be a Photography Wizard to take part?

Nope, whether you’re new to snapping or an enthusiast you can join in on the fun. There is no minimum or maximum age either, so Children can take part too!

Do I need any special equipment?

No, there’s no special equipment needed – any digital or film camera will work. In fact, any Smart Phone equipped with a reasonable camera will be sufficient.

How do I take part?

Simply complete the registration form here to let us know which classes you’d like to enter (ideally the Wednesday before each competition).
You’ll need to print out your photos (ideally on photo paper) to a maximum size of 5×7 inches.
On the day of the competition, bring your photos along to River Village Hall, where our friendly team will be on hand to assist you in setting out your photos in the correct area.

Does it cost to take part?

No, the competition is completely FREE to enter to all exhibitors.
However, light refreshments are available at the venue at reasonable cost.

How Many Photos can I enter?

You can enter a maximum of ONE photo per category there is no maximum on the number of categories you enter. Each Competition has six different categories.

I have never taken part in an RGA Competition before, can I have some more information?

Yes! We have a page dedicated to First-Time exhibitors here.

Competitions and classes

We run three competitions throughout the year (see our Events page for more info) – Spring, Summer and Autumn. Everyone is welcome to enter any or all of the competitions (Shows) throughout the year.

At each Show, exhibits will be judged against all other exhibits in each category with a 1st (3 Points), 2nd (2 Points) and 3rd prize (1 Point) being awarded in each class. The Judge is independent and a local photography expert. Points are accumulated across classes and competitions for each exhibitor. At the end of year (Autumn Show) the exhibitor with the highest number of points wins the “Grigg Cup.”

The Grigg Cup

Spring Show Classes

Takes place on: Saturday 04 April 2020

7) “Clouds”.

8) “Scene in the Local Area

9)”New Life in Spring”

10) “A Seascape”

11) A Local Landmark

12) “Sporting Life”

Summer Show Classes

Takes Place on: Saturday 04 July 2020

7) A Close up of a Rose

8) A Monochrome Photo

9) A Photo Depicting Summer

10) River Through the Lens

11) Photo of Cliffs

12) A Setting Sun

71) A Pub Sign

Summer Show Classes

Takes Place on: Saturday 19 September 2020

7) A Close up of an Everyday object

8) A Woodland Scene

9) An Autumn Day

10) Halloween Theme Photo

11) A Dramatic Sky

12) A close up of a Spiders Web

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Seed Catalogues – Available Now!

A helping hand from us to you

River Gardeners’ Association are offering Members and Non-Members alike an amazing 40% discount on orders from our supplier, Kings Seeds.

Amazing 40% discount!

Seed catalogues can be obtained from our Village Garden Shop on Bylan Road on Sundays between 10:30 and 12:00.

All orders and Money needs to be ready for handing in at our Autumn Show (29th September.) Cheques should be made payable to River Gardener’s Association.

For more information about this incredible offer, please contact [email protected] or call Tony on 01304 824810.

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Summer update – 2018

River Primary School exhibits

Website

Great News! River Gardeners’ Association now have a website: www.rivergardeners.com

We have added Show dates, Schedule downloads, the online entry form and a “Kids Section” to our website so far, and we will be continuously adding, expanding and improving the content available. We hope this site will become the go-to site for all things Gardening in the future!

Continue reading “Summer update – 2018”

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Summer Show Winners – 2018

Group Photo of our Summer Cup Winners 2018

Thankyou to all those who attended and exhibited at our Summer Show on Saturday 30th June 2018, without whom this event could not take place!

A big thankyou also to our Judges who gave up their time to judge at our show. We received some great feedback from the judges with regard to the quality of exhibits!

Congratulations to our Cup Winners too and a big well done if you took part in our Fun, Friendly Summer Show!

Continue reading “Summer Show Winners – 2018”