The Brecknock Gardening Association held its last horticultural show at the Market Hall, Brecon on Sunday, September 18.

The show was well supported by exhibitors from across South, West and Mid Wales.

The public who attended the show were able to see chrysanthemums, dahlias, pot plants, vegetables and domestic exhibited to a very high standard, which ensured that the Hall was attractively colourful.

For many years the show has been supported by the Brecon Town Council as its main sponsor for which the show committee will be ever grateful. In recent times, the Committee has lost a few of its members and the support of the Gardening Association’s members to help run the Show has diminished, thus reducing the level of support needed to sustain the Show.

It had been hoped that despite the show having to be cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic that 2022 would have been the year when it would have been possible to revive the Show.

This was achieved by the hard work of the show committee, ably led by the chairman and show secretary, who succeeded in attracting a considerable number of exhibitors, some of them appearing at the show for the first time.

Unfortunately, the show incurred financial losses which raised doubts about its survival and the committee of the Gardening Association at its September meeting decided that it had no future.

Historically, the show dates back to the late 1960s when it began as a chrysanthemum and dahlia event at the old Church Hall, now the site of the Bishop Bevan Hall. Those early beginnings were achieved under the guidance of the late Richard Bowering, the then horticultural advisor for south Powys, and the late Ivor Sullivan, well-known in horticultural circles as a gardener of considerable ability.

These two pioneers were ably supported by a dedicated team of local gardeners, most of whom are sadly no longer with us.

In recent times additional sections for vegetables, pot plants and domestic were introduced, elevating the show to one of the best autumn shows in Wales

The show committee would like to express its appreciation to all those exhibitors and supporters whose combined efforts were responsible for providing the visiting public with successful shows at the Market Hall over the last 52 years.