THE long-serving chairman of the Royal Cornwall Show’s famous flower show is to step down after this year’s event.

Kenneth Willcock, from St Ive, will step down from his role after an 18-year stint at the helm.

His first involvement with the show 60 years ago wasn’t with a horticultural bias, but as a competitor within the equine section.

His interest at the show switched from horses to horticulture half a century ago when he began exhibiting. In the 1980s, he joined the flower show committee.

He took up the chairman’s role for the flower show in 2000 and works tirelessly to organise everything ahead of the show each June.

He said: ‘I thoroughly enjoy working with horticulturalists of the highest standard who attend the show each year.

‘We have several who are regular gold medal winners at the Chelsea Flower Show and the standard is very high.

‘This year’s show president, Sir Nicholas Bacon, who is also president of the Royal Horticultural Society, said when he visited last year that our flower show was the best he had seen at an agricultural show.

‘The biggest change during my time has been the shift from displays on staging around the edge of the marquee to more informal, individually designed displays in the middle of the space that the public can walk through and see from different angles.’

A very special visitor to the show was a particular highlight during his chairmanship.

‘The most memorable occasion was when The Queen visited the flower show in 2000 and I was privileged to take Her Majesty on a tour of the section and to meet some of the exhibitors.’

Kenneth will not be hanging up his bowler hat just yet, as he will continue to assist his successor, David Danning from Wadebridge, who takes over as chairman.

Christopher Riddle, secretary of the Royal Cornwall Show said: ‘We thank Kenneth for his service at the show and ensuring the flower show has remained of the highest quality and arguably the best of its kind in the UK.

‘We’re pleased that David Danning, himself a regular former exhibitor within the flower show, has agreed to take up the reins for next year’s show.’

This year’s Royal Cornwall Show takes place on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.