History of South East Essex Fuchsia Fellowship of Laindon.

By Charlie Clark

On Tuesday 1st. October 1968 at the Halfway House pub the first meeting to form a group to grow fuchsias was born they named it South East Essex Fuchsia Fellowship and over 80 became members, a donation box which raised £5-3s-6p which set the funds of to a good start. They decided the meetings and the shows would be at laindon community centre in Aston Road down the side of Toomey’s garage.

A booking for the small hall at Laindon Community Centre for the first Monday in the month for committee meetings at 15 shillings per night, from December 2nd 1968 until November 1969 inclusive the large hall was booked for annual show August 2nd 1969 cost 25 shillings per show. It was affiliated to British Fuchsia Society, Royal Horticulture Society. At December 2nd 1968 at the Laindon Community Centre it was proposed by Mr. Tomlin that the constitution laid down for the fellowship was passed the cost at the door to see the show was 6 pence per person.

Committee	2nd November 1970		Other Members
President	Mr. W. G. Sharp		J P. Hart
Vice	Mr. L. W. Kelly		F. Horner
Chairman	Mr. F. A. Letts		Mrs. P Letts
Secretary	Mr. P. Smith		T. Roof
Treasurer	Mrs. I Brooker		R. Saunders
Members Sec.	Mr. A. Swinhoe		P. Smith
Show Sec.	Mr. J. Putley
Publications	Mr. W. L. Chambers

The person who was running the centre was Mr. Moorcroft.

The first show was a huge success, the profit for the first year stood at £160-18s-5p and membership was 155, A lot of ford workers could not make the show because their holiday has to be during shutdown (last week July and 1st week August) so the show date was changed the following year to the 3rd weekend in July which it is still same today. For the next 15 years the 2 day Fuchsia show on the 3rd weekend in July was a huge success with large hanging baskets hanging from roof and plants which filled the hall, It was sad to here that the centre had burnt down in 1985. With our show was coming up, and needed a hall urgently; luckily we found the Fryerns community centre had a large hall and they would allow us to use it.  It took a lot of hard work and time but the show was again a huge success. Soon as the show was over we wanted to get back to Laindon area but no halls was big enough so we started looking at schools the only one big enough was woodlands school at the time but not very good access but we had the show there for the next three years.

All this time we were looking for a better venue we eventually came up with the Festival Hall along Cranes Farm Road. It fulfilled all our requirements and our membership increased to over 264 and was told by the top judges that our 21st annual show in 1989 with 317 exhibits was the best fuchsia show in the country we were to stay a further twq years and they were the best shows and venue we have ever had.

In the end of 1991 the hall was demolished for the redevelopment of the Festival Park, that is still there today. It meant we were searching once again for another big hall, this time we did not have far to go it was Markham’s Chase centre for our 1992 show again a good venue and well supported from Laindon and local Area.

All our Judges have been professional and had stands at Chelsea and Hampton Court and all top growers would come to our monthly meetings and give us talks on how they grew there plants for the big shows. It was with this knowledge that helped our fellowship to grow plants to very high standards.

We were at Markham’s Chase for a considerable time but with the rumors going around that the council was going to pull it down for rugby club and houses (continually denied by the council) plus the cost of the hire had increased considerable  (£750 2008) we decided to look around yet again.

James Hornsby High School came to the rescue with there sports hall which was the same size as Markhams Chase. Our July 2009 was held at James Hornsby and we are still there today.

The show is always the 3rd weekend in July and this year 16th and 17th July 2011 celebrating 43 years this year. If anybody would like to come to our monthly meetings you will always be welcomed and soon you will be growing a wonderful range of fuchsias, standard, pillar, fan, hanging baskets, wall baskets, bush, and many pot plants. First Thursday of month at the United Reform Church, Honey Pot Lane, Basildon. The town end of Whitmore Way.

Our committee today you might recognise some of the names,

President	Ken Tomlin.		Vice President	George Grice
Chairman	Charlie Clark		Vice Chairman	Roy Denning
Secretary	Brenda Craft		Treasurer	Roy Warren
Show Sec.	Peter Pope		Social Sec.	Pat Pope
Editor	John Eyre		Pub. Committee	Jim Roache Paul Russell