Coordinator of Jamaica's team to the Chelsea Flower Show, Pearl Wright (far right), gives her reportof the team's success at the showing of a DVD of Jamaica's participation. - Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer

Daviot Kelly, Staff Reporter

The Chelsea Flower Show in London is widely considered the most prestigious show of its kind, so when Jamaica's teams do well, we should put it on record.

The Jamaica Horticultural Society (JHS) and the St. Andrew Flower Arrangement Club sent a combined team (along with three persons based in the United Kingdom) and took home a silver gilt medal; the second highest that can be won (with gold being number one). But this trip was a little different as the group had a DVD made to show their exploits at the week-long festival. So members of both local flower groups hooked up again on Thursday to watch the DVD which was compiled by Kevin Reittie of Waterworks.

The DVD runs for about 19 minutes and is a compilation of shots Reittie took showing everything from the team preparing the booth to the thousands of patrons viewing the flora. There were also scenes from some of the competing booths including South Africa and Barbados. Reittie said he took over 300 shots and took about an hour and a half to edit the whole thing.

But this isn't just about ladies getting together to use up the time. "The first year I went, I don't think we saw six Jamaicans there. This year, there were hundreds," says Ann Ramsay, member of the JHS. She said that Jamaica's participation provided a sense of pride for the Jamaicans abroad. "Some people don't understand the importance of this thing," she continued.

The ladies used all local products in their designs and carried about 40 boxes worth of material. The Chelsea Flower Show extends over 13 acres of land and attracts participants from about 100 countries. Co-ordinator of the team Pearl Wright after giving her report on our participation, lauded the team for 12 straight years of participation. Jamaica has never received less than a silver medal at the show and she expressed hope for more wonderful years of competing.

Pearl Wright holds one of the prints taken of Jamaica's participation at the Chelsea Flower Show in May of this year. - Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer