The banners are down and the staging stored away - the last leaflet has been handed out, and the final buttered scone has been served .....pots and containers have been returned to their owners, and the flowers that made such breathtaking displays have come to the end of their life..... but the memories live on, and The Task Force thank everyone who worked so hard to make this yet another successful Festival.
Once again, overall visitor numbers were up, with a pleasing increase in the number of people choosing to travel to the Island during this particular week, specially to enjoy the Flower Festival. Whilst admission to all the Festival Churches is free, donations are always welcome, and we thank visitors for their generosity. Much of this money is used for charitable purposes both on and off-Island.
Thanks also to our major sponsors, the Department of Tourism and Leisure, and to the many local businesses and organisations who sponsored individual pages in the Souvenir Brochure, and so made its production possible. We really appreciate your support for this unique community celebration.
Our photo gallery is a reminder of how this year began ..... with a meeting of Church representatives, to which we welcomed Tourism and Leisure Minister Mr David Cretney - who was, as always, cheerful and encouraging in the run-up to this year's Festival. He also surprised us with his skill as a flower arranger ....... but despite putting the finishing touch to a display by adding a single rose, he declined the invitation to help any of the participating Churches with their arrangements .... (it could have something to do with the fact that the display was actually the work of Task Force member Brenda Garrad !!) The Minister has indicated that if he should be re-elected in November, he will not be returning to the Dept of Tourism and Leisure, and so we thank him very specially for all his support and advice through the years.
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