About The Mere Gardening Club
The History of Mere Gardening Club
The club was originally called Mere Allotment Holders and Leisure Gardeners Association but in January 1980 the name was changed to Mere Horticultural Society. Around 2003, it became Mere Gardening Club. The Club held it’s meetings in a hut off White Road when it first began, at what point it moved to the Grove Building, its current location, I have been unable to find out.
The club has held an annual show for many years providing trophies for various entries. Alongside the traditional categories of fruit and vegetables these included wine and photography which was introduced in 1983. Various cups were donated in memory of previous members and in 1995 a Spring Show was also started.
The Bernard Morgan Cup was awarded for the most points in the vegetable categories. Bernard was elected Life President in January 1983 and retired in October 1986 due to ill health. He passed away in December 1986 and the members paid for the cup as a memorial.
The Collins Cup was donated by Mr Collins for the best entry in the flowers category and it was engraved in his memory in 1989.
The Holman Cup was bought with sponsorship money provided by Herbert Leigh Holman. He was the husband of Vivien Leigh from 1932-1940. Leigh Holman lived at Woodlands Manor from 1959 until the death of Vivien Leigh when he moved to Lower Zeals. A list of winners of this cup exists from 1979 to 2011 and it was awarded for the household category.
The Lewis Bristow Cup was donated by Lewis and engraved in his memory in March 1980. It was awarded for the highest points overall.
The Richard Smith Cup was purchased by the members in 2005 from a legacy received from Richard Smith’s estate, it was awarded to the winner of Best in Show in the school section of the Annual Show. He was a long-time member of the Club and Life President until his death. Richard was a strong supporter of the club and part of the legacy was used to provide a greenhouse for Mere School for their gardening Club.
The Geoffrey Duckworth Cup was awarded for the most points in the fruit categories. Geoffrey was a minister at the United Reformed Church and was elected Treasurer in January 1981. He passed away in June 1983 and again the members purchased the cup in memory of Geoffrey.
The Marie Brine Rose bowl was donated in June 1984 by her husband Mr E.J Brine former treasurer 1979 and President 1983 – 1985. It was awarded for the best floral arrangement.
The Michael Powell Cup was purchased with money donated by the Powell’s in 1993. Michael was chairman from 1989 to 1991 and the cup was awarded for the largest number of classes entered.
The Burton Cup was donated by Marjorie White who was treasurer from 1983 to 2003 (?) in memory of her husband Bill. It was named after the village of Burton where they lived. It was awarded for the handicrafts category.
The Honeydew Cup was awarded for the highest points in the photography/art category from 1995 to 2005.
Meanwhile, I have been trying to find out more details such as dates of events, names of members who started the club and its previous history. I would be grateful to hear from anyone who is able to provide any information.
Since 2016 the Club has held it’s meetings at The Grove Building and has gone from strength to strength over the last few years with increased membership, a variety of talks and events along with an annual trip. We have introduced a twelve month programme including socials and members forums with demonstrations and time to chat which has proved popular.
In 2024 as a trial we reintroduced the Members Annual Show in September after break of five years. Entries had dwindled and very few people visited the show. Following a positive response from the members we had 84 entries in 2024 and this year 138, which is very encouraging.
We have established a strong relationship with Castle Gardens at Sherborne who sponsor some of our competitions providing us with bulbs, plug plants and various vouchers. We also visit once a year as a group for a talk and receive a discount on purchases. Plantworld also give our members 10% off their purchases with a current membership card.
Our main community events during the year are The Hidden Gardens of Mere alternating with the Scarecrow Competition which was introduced in 2022.
Rose Heesom
January 2026