THE rain came at the right time for those who participated in the horticulture competition at the Bell Show over the weekend.

“We had great numbers this year, thanks to the rain,” Sheryl Bradley, the steward for the Horticulture said.

“We had heaps of gerberas, I think that there were around 16 entries for that flower alone.”

The competition included many other flower species such as, roses, bougainvilleas and carnations.

However, due to the drought many showgoers were worried that certain competitions wouldn’t go ahead.

“I think a lot of us were waiting to cancel some of the competitions,” she said.

“The rain certainly fell at the right time so we were just delighted that there were so many great entries and everyone really put the effort in.”

The entry fee for the horticulture competition was 50c and while the entires looked simple, Mrs Bradley said that there was a rather complex judging criteria.

“It’s often the little things that catch the entrants out.

“If an arrangement is submitted and it comes in with so much as another bud it can make their chances to win really difficult.

“Flowers that were entered couldn’t be over 15cm which I had a good laugh about, but the judges take it very seriously.”

While Mrs Bradley was blown away by the horticulture entries, she would have liked to of seen more people get involved in some of the other competitions.

“This year was one of the worst for the baking competition, the numbers were really down on that.

“We understand that everyone has had other things on their mind, but it is a bit of fun and it can let you unwind that little bit.”