WALLOP came alive on Saturday as villagers from Nether Wallop and Over Wallop enjoyed a produce market in the morning and a traditional country flower show in the afternoon.

The market stalls took over the village square in the centre of Nether Wallop to offer a wide variety of produce - much of it harvested locally.

This year's Wallop Horticultural Society Flower Show took place in the church at Over Wallop.

"We used to hold the show in the parish hall but we are trying to organise the event so that it is alternated between the villages," said flower show co-ordinator Chris Wink.

"The show went very well this year and although we were a bit concerned about the weather the sun came out when left the judging."

Entries were down somewhat this year even though there was a similar number of exhibitors.

"The growing season has been appalling this year with the weather too cold at the end of June and in early July and it has also been too windy - all of our roses are in bud," he added.

The poor conditions didn't prevent second-time exhibitor Nicola Lee from Over Wallop taking the Banksian medal at the show for the most points and first prizes gained in the show's categories.

The show has been held for many decades and for the past 30 years Edwina Everett of Andover, a judge from the Royal Horticultural Society, has presided over the decision-making in the homemade country wines category.

This year's show marked her final duties as a judge and to celebrate her work through the decades the show organisers presented her with an engraved goblet at the judges' lunch.

One vegetable believed to have made its first appearance at the Wallop show this year was the very large spaghetti squash which was entered into the 'any other vegetable section'.

As well as the flowers and produce the event also has an arts and craft element.