Homegrown and Handmade

The Biddulph Homegrown and Handmade event celebrates the talent, creativity and skills of people in our town.

Inspired by the traditional village produce shows, the event is designed to be welcoming and inclusive. Categories are intentionally broad and accessible, encouraging people of all ages and abilities to take part.

The focus is on participation, enjoyment and celebrating personal achievement, rather than competition alone.

By creating opportunities for residents to meet, inspire one another and celebrate each other’s successes, we strengthen community connections and build pride in Biddulph.

2026

Our second Homegrown and Handmade event took place on the 5 September 2026.

Thank you to everyone who joined us, we were blown away by the talent of the makers and growers. Thank you to the stall holders and demonstrators and to those who enjoyed plant bingo in the Council Chamber! Thank you also to our amazing volunteers, we couldn’t do days like this without you, we really appreciate you.

Here’s a list of the classes and winners, with judges comments:

Produce

A Plate of Mixed Home Grown Produce: 1^st Ann Hayhurst, 2^nd A W Meakin, 3^rd Jim Garvey. ‘A nice selection of produce.’

3 of a Kind Potato: 1^st Jim Garvey.

3 of a Kind Onion: 1^st Evie Brandall, 2^nd Jane Phelps. ‘Very well presented.’

Any Vegetable: 1^st Jane Phelps ‘Nice shape and picked at the right time, lovely colour.’ 2^nd Norma & David Gibson, 3^rd Jane Phelps.

3 of a Kind Tomato: 1^st Jeff Hayhurst, 2^nd Jane Phelps, 3^rd Jim Garvey.

3 of a Kind Apples: 1^st Jim Garvey.

Any Fruit: 1^st Jim Garvey, 2^nd Elaine Rice, 3^rd Jennifer Charlesworth.

Children’s Entry – Any Fruit or Vegetable Plate: 1^st Jessica Osland ‘Lovely variety, a nice selection.’

Floral

A Single Stem: 1^st Jennifer Charlesworth ‘Thalictrum – a very pretty flower. A deserving winner.’ 2^nd Jennifer Charlesworth, 3^rd Jennifer Charlesworth.

A Vase of Homegrown Flowers: 1^st Elaine Rice ‘Lovely fragrance.’

Children’s Entry – Any Floral Display: 1^st Jessica Osland ‘A beautiful display, well done.’

Drinks

The categories were amalgamated together. 1^st Sherolyn Martin, 2^nd Sherolyn Martin, 3^rd Sherolyn Martin.

Preserves

Jar of Soft Fruit: 1^st Alison Gibson, 2^nd Alison Gibson, 3^rd Alison Barber.

Jar of Stoned Fruit: 1^st Elaine Rice, 2^nd Norma & David Gibson, 3^rd Alison Barber.

Jar of Curd: 1^st Alison Barber, 2^nd Jennifer Charlesworth.

Jar of Jelly: 1^st Alison Barber, 2^nd Alison Barber.

Jar of Honey: 1^st Norma & David Gibson, 2^nd Norma & David Gibson.

Jar of Marmalade: 1^st Alison Barber.

Jar of Chutney: 1^st Steve Whitehurst.

Jar of Sweet Chilli Jam: 1^st Alison Barber, 2^nd Helen Jones.

Bakery

Biscuits – Any Variety: 1^st Evie Brandall, 2^nd Audrey Haydon, 3^rd Alison Barber.

Brownies: 1^st Liz Hanley, 2^nd Evie Brandall, 3^rd Alison Barber.

Cake – Any Variety: 1^st Kathleen Purcell, 2^nd Painaia Gillie, 3^rd Painaia Gillie.

Sausage Rolls – Any Variety: 1^st Alison Barber ‘Excellent flavour and formity’, 2^nd Kathleen Purcell ‘Excellent example of a traditional sausage roll – tasty pastry’, 3^rd Audrey Haydon.

Pastries: Any Variety: 1^st Jennifer Charlesworth, 2^nd Painaia Gillie.

Bread – Any Variety: 1^st Jim Garvey ‘Great texture, nice crust, beautiful bread.’

Children’s Entry – Any Bakery Item: 1^st Isobel Smith, 2nd Jessica Osland.

Handicraft

A Machine Sewn Item: 1^st Pearl Dalley, 2^nd Norma & David Gibson, 3^rd Biddulph Community Sewing Group. ‘Exceptional detail, beautifully made, wonderful.’

A Collage Any Medium: 1^st Janet Wakelin ‘Very seasonal, beautiful cutting.’

A Cross Stitch Item: 1^st Christine Blenkinsopp ‘Beautifully done, lovely use of colours.’

A Knitted Item: 1^st Andrea Day ‘Very neat work, wonderful detail and finish’, 2^nd Christine Blenkinsopp, 3^rd Elaine Rice.

A Crochet Item: 1^st Sue Garvey ‘Outstanding use of colours, great attention to detail, work of a perfectionist’, 2^nd Linda Machin.

A Mixed Craft Item: 1^st Cheryl Ashcroft ‘Very neat, good attention to detail’, 2^nd Elaine Rice, 3^rd Glynis Aldred.

Children’s Entry – Any Handicraft Item: 1^st Flo Ireland, 2^nd Flo Ireland, 3^rd Jessica Osland.

Art

Pen/Ink/Pencil: 1^st Christine Blenkinsopp.

Water Colour: 1^st Sue Garvey, 2^nd Janet Wakelin, 3^rd Margaret Jackson.

Fairtrade

Let’s Go Bananas: 1^st Isobel Smith, 2^nd Suzanne Senn, 3^rd Suzanne Senn. ‘This was an incredibly difficult decision! Well done to all who contributed.’

Best in Show

Andrea Day: A Knitted Item.

Got feedback or suggestions? We’d love to hear from you! Email us at:  office@biddulph-tc.gov.uk

Here’s some photos:

Photos: Jasper Van Der Vilt Photography

2025

On Saturday 27 September 2025 we held our very first ‘Homegrown and Handmade’ event at the Town Hall; an informal, friendly and heartwarming amateur competition that celebrated the incredible talent, creativity and community spirit right here in Biddulph.

The idea was simple: to showcase local skills and bring people together through a shared interest in growing, making, baking, crafting and creating. And what a wonderful success it was!

A Huge Thank You To:  

Our organising team and volunteers.

Our exhibitors – for growing vegetables or flowers, baking, preserving, crafting, brewing and painting – we were thrilled by the number and quality of entries.

Our judges – who had the tough job of choosing winners from such a high standard of entries.

Our stall holders – Biddulph Local People’s Group who provided tea and home made cakes, Helen and Cheryl (Felting and More), Biddulph in Bloom, Jane from Hedgerow Preserves, Biddulph u3a, Georgia Leese, Caroline Hough, Made by Susan and Biddulph Yarnbarms (who also created the fabulous post box toppers outside the Town Hall and at the Cenotaph).

Tunstall and Biddulph Flower Club – for giving visitors the change to create their own buttonhole.

Carolyn from the Speckled Hen Cookery School – for the chance to get ‘hands-on’ and make focaccia artisan bread, and take it home to bake.

Biddulph Fairtrade Town Group – for their striking banner and informative display in the Town Hall.

Ruth Breen – who launched the Global VAA Open spaces art trail right here in Biddulph, with her stunning floral canvas. Ruth absolutely met the VAA brief of transforming everyday spaces into vibrant platforms for creativity!

Jasper Van Der Vilt Photography – for being our ‘official photographer’, and beautifully capturing the spirit of the day. A selection of Jasper’s photos are shown below. See more here: https://www.facebook.com/jaspervanderviltphotography/

Here’s a list of the classes and winners, with overall judges comments:

Vegetable Tray: 1^st Elaine Rice. ‘Nice well grown range.’

3 of a Kind: 1^st Howard Brandall, 2^nd Monica Gibson, 3^rd Jane Phelps. ‘Hard to judge, was a very well supported class.’

Squash: 1^st Elaine Rice, 2^nd Jim Garvey, 3^rd Annette Jones.

Herbs: 1^st  Mr & Mrs W Latham, 2^nd Norma Gibson.

Any Other Fruit: 1^st Barbara Forster, 2^nd Norma Gibson, 3^rd Joan Wright.

Floral Display: 1^st Mr & Mrs W Latham ‘Beautiful, blemish-free, nice arrangement/evenly dispersed.’ 2^nd Barbara Forster ‘Delicate selection flower choice, very pretty.’ 3^rd Elaine Rice ‘Amazing smell, nice sized head, good strong stem.’  

A Perfect Stem: 1^st Janet Lawton ‘Nice, even structure, strong stem and balance of leaves. Nice visually balanced head.’ 2^nd John Leason ‘Even head, pretty formed cottage garden rose. Nice straight stem. Beautifully formed petals.’ 3^rd Audrey Haydon ‘Impressive size, firm structure, beautiful variegation of petal.’

Any Cake: 1^st Janet Lawton, 2^nd Norma Gibson, 3^rd Suzanne Senn. ‘Overall a tough decision to make. A nice varied selection of tasty treats.’

Jams, Jellies and Chutney: 1^st Jim Garvey, Diane Shenton, Barbara Forster, Annette Jones. 2^nd Alison Barber, Monica Gibson, Alison Barber. 3^rd Joan Wright, Diane Shenton. 1^st Norma Gibson.

Bakery: 1^st Jim Garvey, 2^nd Pat Gillie, 3^rd Mr & Mrs W Latham. ‘Everyone who entered should be proud. Every item was very tasty and enjoyed them all. Thank you for entering and please enter next year. There are no losers, it was very very close.’

Cheers: 1^st Rosemary Jackson, Sherolyn Martin, 2^nd Sherolyn Martin , 3^rd Joan Wright.

A Handicraft Item: 1^st Christine Blenkinsopp, 2^nd Margaret Jackson.

A Fabric Craft Item: 1^st Maureen Webster, 2^nd Glynis Aldred, 3^rd Andrea Day.

A Yarn Craft Item: 1^st Cheryl Ashcroft, 2^nd Joyce Shallcross, 3^rd Janet Bailey. ‘All the entries were amazing, it was really difficult to choose!’  

A Drawing, Painting or Mixed Media Art Piece: 1^st Alison Beasley, 2^nd Linda Machin, 3^rd Brenda. ‘An amazing selection of art work.’  

Cake – Juniors up to age 11: 1^st Stacey Sherratt (Olivia-Faye aged 9), Alice Ford, Alice Ford. ‘Enjoyed sampling them all, well done.’ 

Cake – Teens aged 12 to 17: 1^st Stacey Sherratt (Harleigh-Mae aged 14). ‘Good description of Fairtrade.’

 

Most of all, thank you to everyone who came along, supported, shared, and celebrated what makes our community so special.

Got feedback or suggestions? We’d love to hear from you! Email us at:  office@biddulph-tc.gov.uk