Suffolk Show steward of 50 years recalls Diana visit

A farmer, who has been a steward at the Suffolk Show for 50 years, said a highlight had been a visit from Diana, Princess of Wales.

John Wall, from Easton, said the show, which is being held at Trinity Park in Ipswich, had grown in size since he started stewarding in 1976.

In 2015, his late wife also came up with the idea for the Suffolk Schools Show Garden competition where students create their own small gardens for judging.

Asked what his favourite memory was over the years, he referenced 1986 when Princess Diana visited, bringing the crowds with her.

"I was involved in stewarding light horses then and you couldn't move on the showground, it was manic," he recalled.

"But I had a dear gentleman, Fred Harvey that used to work for me, who won a long service award from Princess Diana.

"I said to him the next morning, 'What did you think of her then Fred?' and he said in his lovely Suffolk accent, 'Oh she was a smasher'.

"That was one of the nicest things [from the last 50 years], but there's been many."

He added: "It's lovely to have a day like this, a lot of hard work goes in to put the show on and everyone will be rewarded."

Wall's wife Sue, who had worked as a teacher, came up with the idea to encourage schools to create small gardens as part of a competition.

He said its success was mainly due to the schools getting behind the idea.

"In the early days the children came to the showground and built their garden here, but we only had five or six," he explained.

"We changed it around - we had cut down potato boxes, lined them up, painted them and they are taken to the schools with compost in early March.

"They were picked up last week and I've been watering them all every day... they look magnificent this morning."

Additional reporting by Wayne Bavin.

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