Decline in visitors fells top leek show

Aug 14 2008 by Tony Henderson, The Journal

THE GREAT North East’s tradition of prize leek growing has been dealt a blow with the scrapping of one of the country’s biggest shows.

For the last 28 years, the world open leek championship and world heaviest onion challenge at the Northern Club in Ashington, Northumberland, has attracted entries from across the UK.

Prize money of £7,500 was up for grabs in the Newcastle Breweries-sponsored show, with £1,300 for best stand of leeks and £1,000 for the weightiest onion.

As smaller club and pub shows have fallen by the wayside, the showpiece event at the Northern Club has helped continue the social and cultural tradition of leek growing going back more than 150 years.

But now the club has decided to axe the show, due to be held next month.

Ashington grower Bill Rutherford, who started the show, said: “It is an absolute bombshell. People used to come from all over the country and the whole leek world is shattered.”

Tony Cuthbert, from Warkworth in Northumberland, won the onion title two years ago with a 14Ib 14oz monster. He said: “It’s a disaster. It was a lovely weekend, but now the carpet has been pulled from under us.”

Dick Atkinson, former secretary of the Northern Club and the show itself, said the club could no longer afford to contribute to the event. He said: “We regret having to call off the show, but from our point of view it is not viable.

“We could not justify the outlay because although the level of entries remained good, not enough people were coming through the door to view the show. We were not getting enough back on beer sales to recoup our money.”

The club has 1,500 male and 500 female members, but Mr Atkinson said business had been badly hit by the smoking ban and rising prices also had an impact.

He said: “Petrol, utility and food bills are going up. People haven’t got a bottomless pit of money and it is hitting drinking. Pubs are closing every day and a lot of clubs are struggling.”

Mr Rutherford said the show had continually set new standards, with winning leeks more than double the size of 1980 and the top onion nearly three times heavier than the original winner.

He said: “I don’t think leek growing can recover from this. It is a really sad affair because it was a phenomenal success for many years. One of the problems is that younger people are just not interested.”

Mr Cuthbert said: “Once you would have had to queue to get into the show, but lately you could just wander in.

“Although allotment gardening is booming and there are waiting lists, it isn’t spilling into shows, and in the next five years I foresee a big decline.

“Serious growers use equipment like poly tunnels, and it costs me £600 a year to heat greenhouses. It is too much if you can’t get decent prize money.”