A TROPHY awarded more than 50 years ago to a champion chrysanthemum grower has returned to Goostrey after disappearing from the village.
No-one knows how the cup presented to an H Callwood for his success in 1964 at the annual Goostrey and District Chrysanthemum Society Show came to be offered for sale on eBay.
A past show
But Stewart Smallwood, a member of Goostrey Parish Archive, who is on the constant lookout for books and items of local interest, discovered it was being sold by a business specialising in second-hand trophies.
The now-defunct Chrysanthemum Show was a major event in the village for many years alongside the annual Rose Queen Festival and the century-old Gooseberry Show.
A past show
Well-known competitors included Stewart's mother, Jean, the 91-year-old local historian whose book chronicled life in the village over decades, and the late Bill Lester, a leading figure in the chrysanthemum show world.
Stewart, who bought the silver-plated cup on behalf of Goostrey Parish Archive to add to its growing collection of artefacts, said: "It is a very lucky find and another small item of local history we have been able to save for future generations."
The archive has an ongoing campaign appealing to current and past residents and relatives of people in the village to donate items and images of local interest to the collection.
Jean Smallwood with her trophies. Images from Smallwood Collection, Goostrey Parish Archive
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