A RECORD crowd of over 60,000 thronged the Three Counties Showground for the Autumn Garden and Country Show.

The two-day event, last weekend, held on conjunction with the Royal Horticultural Society, has grown in popularity over its 11-year history with its mix of flowers and vegetables alongside displays and a host of trade stands.

The Harvest Pavilion included a section for giant vegetables and among the showstoppers were a record-breaking green squash weighing in at 726lbs, a marrow weighing 110lbs, an onion at 12lbs and a carrot measuring 14ft 8.5inches.

Nick Vincent, chief executive of TCAS, said: "The format of this show has remained unchanged for a long time and people are very comfortable with it. So while we may make alterations within the site there are no plans to make big changes. There are no plans to go a third day, for example, especially while we are working on extending the Spring Show to four days."

Bob Sweet, of the RHS, praised the standard of exhibits. "This year we have had a higher percentage of gold and silver medals here than at any of the other of our shows. One of the reasons the standard is so high is that while we got nearly 100 applications from nurseries, we restricted the number to 55. Competition to get into the show is very strong."

In the RHS flower show, Fibrex Nurseries, of Pebworth, was awarded a silver-gilt flora medal for a display of ivies and hardy ferns. In the National Vegetable Society Midland branch championships, Allen Young, of Wick, featured among the leading prize winners.