One of the things that are out of your control when creating a stand at Chelsea, or any out door event, is weather and plot conditions.
Every year I go through my stand design with my build up team to try and pre-empt what problems may arise and how we may solve them, such as how to unload the van without having things everywhere and leaving no space to build up, or the plot not being the exact size we have on paper or it being windy and making sure the walls will be sound in any conditions or like with the 2011 stand the ground was so hard we could not get any stakes into the ground.
This year presented a challenge that no one thought about, mud! We knew it had been a wet spring but what we found on site when we arrived was a very soggy space with lots of squelchy mud. We just stood there not quite sure what to do, the main problem being the walls of the plot, they may sink and become unstable. It was decided that the huge 2m long 4x4’s that I had for back supports would have to be pushed into the mud to provide a secure footing for the walls, we did look at funny sight jumping up and down in the mud. We did our best sourcing lots of off cuts of wood and as each wall panel was fixed in place the off cuts were wedged in any gaps to make the walls level.
The good thing about the wet ground is that I didn’t need to water a thing all week even in 30 degree heat as there was around two inch of water sitting under the plant pots.
It just goes to show, no mater how organised you think you are, there will always be something you hadn’t thought about. We always enjoy build up week as it really tests your ingenuity and problem solving and you always seem to find what you need in the bin or with a neighbour.
Thanks to Iain and Allyson my build up team, who rise to the challenge every year and still come back for more following year.