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In the end, it all comes down to this – 2nd September 2026 Words and pictures by Dominic Weston Silence fell on Shepton Mallet bowls club.  At 7:00 o’clock, the wooden door was unlocked, and the members of a different society slowly and quietly began to file in. They carried boxes, they carried bags, they carried bowls. Issued with raffle tickets, they carefully placed treasured items on two long runs of tables. Perhaps a hand-tied posy of garden flowers, perhaps a cheesy snack. Whatever it was, it was placed with precision and pride, and with a feeling of great trepidation. At 7:30, the 2026 Autumn Show began. The competition eyed each other from either side of the hut, and what was to follow would leave the members of the Shepton Mallet Horticultural Society quaking in their rubber boots for years to come… …or, going home with smiles on their faces after another fantastic show of prowess and persistence in the garden or in the kitchen, working with flair, imagination and always good humour. The Autumn Show is always one of the highlights of our year, because even if your osteospermum never took off, you could still win the ‘Dead or Alive’ category. Even if your best vegetable is wonky… especially if your best vegetable is wonky, it will find an appreciative audience here. And even if life gets in the way, and you couldn’t grow or make anything to bring on the night, you can still take part in the vote (because everyone does). fill up on cheesy snacks and home producer, and enjoy the convivial company of others in the group as autumn closes… Read More »The Autumn Show – The Wars of the Roses