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Kings Seed Catalogues 2024/2025 – Available now!

River Gardeners’ Association are offering Members and Non-Members alike an amazing 25% discount on orders from our supplier, Kings Seeds.

How to obtain a Catalogue and Order Form

The Catalogues and forms will be available at the following Events:

  • Temple Ewell Autumn Show – 07 September 2024 (Temple Ewell Village Hall)
  • River Autumn Show – 14 September 2024 (River Village Hall)

Seed catalogues can also be obtained before the shows by contacting: [email protected] or call: 07942 345527

Additional Information

Completed Order forms will need to be returned with the money at the Latest by: 02November 2024 at River Gardeners AGM @ 10AM (River Village Hall)

We are pleased to be offering you a 25% discount off of all orders of seeds. Please note that there is no discount available on any plants, fruit, garlic, mushrooms, potatoes, onion and shallot sets, sundry items or Seed Collections. The cheaper rate band shown in the catalogue is available for Potatoes. Plug plants are not included in the scheme and will incur a one-off carriage charge.

Please include your Name, Address, phone number & Email on the order form, deduct 25% discount off and add £1.65 for packing, and return your order by 02November 2024 with cash or cheque made payable to River Gardeners Association.

Return form to Chestnut Tree Cottage, Crabble Avenue, River, CT17 0JB or drop off at our AGM / Coffee Afternoon on 02 November 2024

If you have any queries, call or leave a message on: 07942 345527or email: [email protected]

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News from the Compost Heap – Spring 2024

While our name might evoke images of trowels and topiaries, we at River Gardeners are so much more than a gardening club. We’re a vibrant, all-encompassing community hub that thrives on bringing people together through a trio of annual village shows. These events are a celebration of creativity and community spirit, featuring an array of arts, baking, crafts, and hobbies, alongside a bounty of home-grown produce, vegetables, and flowers.

Our mission is to inspire participation from individuals of all ages. Whether it’s a sketch, a snapshot, a handcrafted item, or a culinary creation, we welcome contributions that reflect the diverse talents of our village and its neighbouring villages.

River Gardeners is synonymous with friendliness and inclusivity. Beyond our shows, we host an assortment of gatherings – from quiz nights to live music evenings – designed to unite our community and support the continuity of our cherished events. Participation in our shows is a breeze, with no membership required. Details are readily available on our website: rivergardeners.com We invite you to explore what we have to offer, join us on a show day to either exhibit your work or simply to revel in the local talent. And don’t miss out on our delightful array of home-made cakes, available for purchase, along with tea and coffee served at unbeatable prices.

As we continue to grow, we’re on the lookout for enthusiastic volunteers to help orchestrate our show days and major events. There’s also an opportunity to play a pivotal role in our community as a member of our committee. If you’re drawn to making a difference and fostering community spirit, reach out to us at [email protected].

Our passion for nurturing community events is boundless, but to flourish, we rely on your support and involvement. Join us in this communal journey of celebration, creativity, and connection.

Our next event is our Summer Show on Saturday 6th July, see our website for more details: rivergardeners.com

We will be hosting our Annual Quiz on Saturday 27th July, 7pm for 7.30pm. Teams of up to 8 welcome at a cost of £3 per head, bring your own food and drink and there will be a Raffle. The quiz is to raise money for a local school/club/charity and the winning team can choose the destination of the donation. With our unique scoring system nobody knows until after the last round which team has won, keeping every team interested right up to the very end. Come and join us for a fun evening. Tickets available from https://rivergardeners.com/event/quiz

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News from the Compost heap – January 2024

We hope you had a wonderful start to the new year and are looking forward to the upcoming gardening season. We have some exciting events planned for you in the next few months, so mark your calendars and don’t miss out!

Christmas Party Success!

We want to thank everyone who attended our Christmas Party last December. It was a great success, with over 60 members and guests enjoying a festive feast, Mini quiz, live music, and Dancing.

We hope to see you soon at our events and wish you all the best for your gardening endeavours. Happy gardening

Spring Show 2024

Firstly, we are thrilled to announce our Spring Show on 23 March 2024, where you can showcase your beautiful blooms and compete for prizes in various categories. The show will take place at the River Village Hall, admission is free for all.

Timetable:
9:00 to 10:45am – Bring your entries and set them up.
11:00am – The judges will start their work
2:00pm – The show is open to the public.
03:30 – 4:00pm (Estimated) – Awards ceremony, auction, raffle.

You can find more details and complete the entry form on our website: rivergardeners.com/event/spring-show

Relaunch of the River Photography Competition!

We are launching our FREE annual Photography Competition for 2024, the competition runs throughout the year with 3 separate shows to show-case your work.

There are a number of categories to choose from (you can enter as many categories as you like) for the first show:

1. Frost

2. Reflections

3. Human Form

4. Light and Shadow

5. Nostalgia

6. Up in the Air

The Show dates are as follows (entry’s to be received by Wednesday before each show)

23 March 2024

06 July 2024

14 September 2024

Entry form and more details available here: https://rivergardeners.com/photography-competition-2024/

Quiz

Secondly, we invite you to join us for a fun and friendly Quiz Night on 13 April 2024, where you can test your General Knowledge and trivia. The quiz will be held at the River Village Hall from 7 pm to 10 pm, and tickets are £3 per person, with teams of up to eight. It’s an American Supper Style evening, so bring your own food & drinks.

You can book your tickets online, but hurry as spaces are limited: rivergardeners.com/event/quiz/

Dates for your Diary

Summer show: 06 July 2024

Autumn Show: 14 September 2024

AGM / Coffee Morning: 02 November 2024

2024 Show Schedule

Our 2024 Show Schedule is available to download on our website here:

Download
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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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Avocados

Avocados are millennials’ favourite fruit, and adored by the rest of us as accompaniments to Breakfasts and Many cuisines, such as Mexican. However, did you know the environmental cost of producing and transporting these valued fruits across the globe?

However, did you know the environmental cost of producing and transporting these valued fruits across the globe?

Carbon Footprint Ltd estimates that two small avocados in a packet has a CO2 footprint of 846.36 grams, which is almost twice the amount of a kilo of bananas! Avocados often travel thousands of miles from tropical climates to reach the UK Super-markets.

Continue reading “Avocados”
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Kings Seed Catalogues 2023 – Available now!

River Gardeners’ Association are offering Members and Non-Members alike an amazing 30% discount on orders from our supplier, Kings Seeds.

Continue reading “Kings Seed Catalogues 2023 – Available now!”
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News from the Compost Heap – Summer 2022

Show Secretaries Corner:

At the time of writing this we are in the middle of a heatwave, with the hottest days of the year expected very soon, it has been quite a while since any rain fell and the gardens are in dire need of it, having said that we had a lovely Summer Show in July our visitors were able to see a colourful array of Flowers, Vegetables, Floral Art, Cookery, Photography, Craft and Children’s entries. We welcomed some new exhibitors and helped them to display the items that had been grown or made.

Read more: News from the Compost Heap – Summer 2022

Our next Show is the Autumn Show which takes place on Saturday 17th September at River Village Hall, Common Lane, River. We are looking for more adults and children to exhibit, if you can bake we have Cookery Classes for you:-

Easy Malt Loaf (using this recipe)

  • 350g (12oz) self-raising flour 1
  • 70g (6oz) currants
  • 60g (2oz) sultanas
  • 30g (1oz) sugar
  • 30g (1oz) dark brown sugar
  • 2½ tbsp Oval tine
  • 4tbsp golden syrup
  • pinch of salt
  • 300ml (½ pt) milk

Preheat oven 325F/160C/gas 3

Grease and line a 1kg (2lb 4oz) loaf tin. Sieve flour into bowl, add dry ingredients and mix. Slightly warm milk & syrup together, add to dry ingredients. Mix batter well & pour into tin. Bake on preheated baking sheet for 1-1½ hrs. Place on cooling rack, leave to cool. Ease sides with flat bladed knife & loaf should tap out.

5 Halloween Decorated Fairy Cakes

  • 3 Pieces Bread Pudding (use own recipe)
  • Small Wholemeal Loaf – using 500g Dough
  • Soft Fruit Jam – Approx. 500g Jar
  • Stone Fruit Jam – Approx. 500g Jar
  • Jar Jelly – (small)
  • Jar Pickles
  • Jar Chutney (matured)
  • Bottle of Home-made Cordial – Approx 750mls in clear glass bottle
  • All Bottles and Jars must be clear, clean glass

Attach a plain stick-on label to container with name of contents & date of preserving. Entries must comply with the recipe – if given.

You can enter as many of these classes as you like, but only one entry in each class per person.

Floral Art

If you like arranging flowers, we have Floral Art classes you could enter:-

  • Beginners:- An Arrangement in a Wine Glass
  • “Halloween” – An exhibit, up to 75cm wide
  • An Arrangement using Foliage, Grasses & Berries, up to 75cm wide

Young Peoples Entries

For our younger members of our Village, we have classes for you, prize money is given to the 1st, 2nd and 3rd places.

  • 7 years and under – A4 Collage using leaves, seeds and flowers etc
  • 8 to 15 years –A Hat for Halloween OR A4 Collage of a Spider in its web
  • Up to 15 years – Largest Sunflower Head
  • Up to 15 years – Photography “ Halloween”
  • Up to 15 years – Photography “Its a Bugs Life”

It is FREE to enter any of the above classes, simply fill in the online form at:- rivergardeners.com/entry-form by 9pm on 14th September or email me [email protected] to let me know which classes you would like to enter or if you have any questions.

Dates for your Diary, 2022:

  • Deadline to enter Autumn Show – 14 September @21:00
  • Autumn Show – 17 September (Kings Seeds catalogues available, discounts on all orders)
  • Swap Shop – 25 September @ 14:30
  • AGM, Afternoon Tea & 2023 Schedule Launch– 08 October @ 14:00
  • Christmas Afternoon Tea – 03 December @ 14:00 – 16:00

Volunteering

We are always keen to welcome new volunteers onto our friendly Committee. There are a number of defined roles (Secretary, Catering Officer, Committee Member) within the committee, but also the opportunity to just be a part of the team as a general committee member.

Minimal free time is required as we only meet about six times per year (currently virtual) as well as show days and any special events we run.

Find out more here: https://rivergardeners.com/volunteering-on-our-committee/ or email: [email protected]

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Spring Show 2022 – Success!

Thank you to all those who Exhibited and Visited our Spring Show today, we had a great turn out of Exhibits and visitors!

A Special Thank you also to all our Judges, Committee Members and Helpers, whom without we could not have put on such a great event.

Continue reading “Spring Show 2022 – Success!”