WEDNESDAY CLUB: Took its annual Christmas lunch at the Three Ways Hotel, Mickleton in early January. Two of the Hedgehog mini-buses were on duty to collect members from the outskirts of the village. The meal was excellent and the six large circular tables were beautifully decorated in true Christmas tradition. Chairman Sarah Lancaster welcomed all the members present, whom she asked to toast all those absent through ill-health or extreme age, and then made a special point of inviting the staff of the hotel to be present and then thanked them for their kind attention to everyone before, during and after the meal.

The lunch drew to its close with the drawing of winning tickets from the kitty of the gigantic raffle organised through the committee. Tickets had been sold by stalwarts, Bessie and Ruby and the provision of the loud and clear voice nominating the winning numbers was provided by Brian Lancaster.

GARDENING CLUB: President, Ann Wall, welcomed a packed hall full of members to the first meeting of the Gardening Club year, and introduced the speaker, Duncan Coombs, who gave a talk and slide show on Hidcote Garden.

Lawrence Johnson created the garden, after his American mother had purchased Hidcote as a home in 1907. He was a good landscape architect, and incorporated into his design a proportion of space, shelter and enclosure and used paths as an axis to give countryside views over the Vale of Evesham. Work began near the house with a white garden, then a pink border and theatre lawn and then pools, steps and paths were built before adding tapestry hedges, topiary, a red border, spring bank and rose garden. One could see the contemporary influences on his designs, from Sissinghurst, Westonbirt, the Arts and Crafts movement and Lutyens type steps and also from his stay in Europe and travel in China. Lawrence was also a fine plantsman, siting plants in prime positions, and using contrasting colours. He was revolutionary in interplanting roses with yews and lilacs and putting herbs, pinks, cistus and herbaceous plants among them. He bought back a fine mahonia from China and there is a rose with his name, as well as a Hidcote hydrangea, hypericum and pink penstemon. Hidcote garden became internationally known and is an inspiration to all visitors. Gerald Futardo thanked the speaker for his guided tour of the garden and said that Hidcote is a memorial to a great man and is there for us to enjoy. The tabletop competition was won by Peggy Atherton. A presentation of a trophy was also made to the three joint winners of the competition for last year, Lorna Dudley, Gaye Rochfort and Greta Slatter. The next meeting is on February 21 to hear Jean Andrews speak on - Charles Maries - the Warwickshire Plant Hunter.