The Willett Cup is presented at the Autumn Show to the person winning MOST PRIZE MONEY in Section B - Fruit and Vegetables. It is held for one year.

This cup is inscribed: “Presented by Dr E.M.M.Willett To THE WELLESBOURNE & WALTON HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY”

Dr Willett presented the cup to the Society in 1951. Silver marks on the reverse of the cup indicate that the cup was made in Birmingham in 1910. This suggests that the cup must have been repurposed as Dr Willett lived from 1891 to 1973. 

Eva Marjorie M Willett was born on 14^th May 1891 in Lewes, Sussex. She was registered as a Medical Practitioner in 1931. At some point she moved to Wellesbourne where she was a much-respected lady doctor. During the war years she worked from Orchard House in Bridge Street and in1946 was appointed Police Medical Officer in Wellesbourne. She became aware that some of her older patients were lonely and founded the Evergreen Club for elderly people in the community in 1948. There were fortnightly meetings, entertainments and outings. 

Dr Willett was listed as one of the vice presidents of the WWHS from 1949 to1955.

When she retired in 1955 she was presented with an antique mahogany writing desk and an illuminated book containing the names of some 600 subscribers in the villages of Wellesbourne and Walton. She moved away from the area and died in Malvern on 7^th August 1973.

The Harold Roberts Cup is presented at the Autumn Show for the best EXHIBIT in Section B (Fruit and Vegetables). It is held for one year.

The body of the cup is inscribed: “Wellesbourne & Walton Horticultural Society” and the base: “H. A. Roberts Memorial Cup”

Harold Roberts was a dedicated member of the Committee for many years. He joined in 1957, became Secretary in 1959 and served as Chairman from 1968 until1998 when ill health forced him to retire. Harold and his wife contributed regularly to the Shows and won many prizes. Harold died in 2004 and his family presented the cup in his memory. The cup was first presented in 2011.

The cup is inscribed: “Presented to Wellesbourne and District Floral Exhibition by HH Prince de Mahe for the best exhibit in the open class. 

Silver marks indicate that it was produced by William Neale & Son Ltd, Birmingham in 1937. The first mention of the de Mahe Cup was in the schedule for the 1938 show.

Prince John Bryant Digby de Mahe inherited his title on the death of his father - His Highness Charles Mahé de Chenal de la Bourdonnais. Prior to 1914 Charles had been known as Charles Digby Williams. The origin of his title is not clear but was presumably connected to Charles’ association with the island of Mahe in the Seychelles. Prince John de Mahe married Isolde Guinness, daughter of the Guinness banking family in 1931.

Prince and Princess de Mahe and their family lived at Staple Hill House, Wellesbourne, before and after the Second World War. While there, they took an interest in local events and in 1937 Princess de Mahe performed the opening ceremony at the Wellesbourne Floral Fete. Major Clarke extended a welcome to Prince and Princess de Mahe and expressed the hope that their stay in Wellesbourne would be happy.

The family left Wellesbourne in 1947 and set sail for Kenya where they had purchased a dairy farm. They took with them their yellow Rolls Royce which they continued to use regularly, often travelling on unmade roads. John de Mahe died in Berkshire in 1996.

County Cup

This cup is awarded for the most prize money in the Cookery Section. It is held for one year.

It is not clear when this cup was first used. The Society cups have been used for different purposes over the years and the names by which some of them are known have changed. There was an older cup called the County Cup at least as far back as 1938.

This cup is presented to the person winning the most prize money in the children’s classes. It is held for one year.

This cup is inscribed “Wellesbourne and Walton Horticultural Society Junior Trophy

Mr Cook, along with his wife, had been a vice president of the Society for many years and was Secretary in 1951 and 1952. At the annual meeting of the Society in November 1958 Mr S. E. Cook offered to present a challenge cup for the children’s section of the Show, this being the only section not having a trophy at the time.

The cup was presented for the first time in 1959 when it was won by Verity Harris.

This trophy is awarded to the most successful person in the adult classes (based on most prize money and/or quality of entries) who has not previously entered more than one of our shows. It is held until the next Spring show.

The base of the cup is inscribed on the front: The Harry Bryan Memorial Trophy and on the reverse: Wellesbourne & Walton Horticultural Society

This cup was donated to the Society by Guy Harrison to honour the memory of Harry Bryan, past chairman of the Society.

The People’s Choice Cup is awarded to the person whose entry wins the most votes from visitors to the show. It is held until the next Spring Show.

The cup is inscribed on the front: “Wellesbourne & Walton Horticultural Society Tug of War Challenge Cup” and on the reverse: “Presented by Wellesbourne Football Supporters Club May 10^th,1955”.

The Wellesbourne and Walton Horticultural Show featured a tug of war competition as part of the entertainments for many years from about 1936–1962. The Wellesbourne team was formed in 1946. There was great enthusiasm for the sport and the teams trained regularly. Charles Betteridge devised a training machine which was situated on the sports field. This consisted of a wooden frame made of telegraph poles with a rope slung over. The team pulled against a large concrete block which was attached to one end.

The Wellesbourne team took part in many competitions both locally and nationally. They were Midlands champions for 10 years and twice participated in the national championships at White City. The Wellesbourne Football Supporters Club presented the Society with the cup in 1955 for use at the shows. The Wellesbourne team reached the final in 1955 but lost to Much Markle. The Heart of England Tug of War Championship was run in conjunction with the Wellesbourne Show in 1959 and 1961.

The People’s Choice award was introduced in 2004 and the Tug of War cup is now presented for this category.

Village Competition Challenge Cup

This cup is awarded at the Autumn Show for the most prize money in all classes. It is held for one year.

This cup has 2 inscriptions: “Wellesbourne and Walton Horticultural Society” and “Village Competition Challenge Cup 1910”. The shields around the base are inscribed with the winners 1910-1912 and 1953-1959.

The cup has an interesting history. Silver marks indicate that it was produced in Birmingham 1909/10. It was known originally as the Stratford-on-Avon Village Competition Cup and was open to villages within a 12 mile radius of Stratford. The competition was for flowers, fruit and vegetables, grown by cottagers and amateurs only and judged on points.

Wellesbourne won the cup in 1910, 1911 and 1912. There are no further records of the village competition and Wellesbourne must have retained the cup.

There are no further inscriptions until 1953 when it was won by Mrs D Gregory Hood. The Stratford Herald published an article in 1953 entitled “Cup that Wellesbourne Show organisers forgot”.

The cup had been deposited in a bank for safekeeping and forgotten about until the vault was Spring-cleaned some forty years later! The cup was renovated and renamed the Wellesbourne and Walton Horticultural Society Challenge Cup and has been in use ever since.

The medal is inscribed with the current year’s date and is awarded at the WWHS Show to the exhibitor who wins the most prize money in the horticultural classes - fruit, flowers and vegetables . The medal is retained by the winner but winners in the last 2 years are ineligible . 

In 1820 the Banksian medal was instituted in by the RHS in honour of Sir Joseph Banks, one of its founders.

Initially it was awarded to exhibitors of objects brought to general meetings but, by the late nineteenth century, was given to societies for distribution at their local exhibitions.

Today, RHS Affiliated Societies who hold an annual show receive a replica of the original Banksian medal.