WINSFORD Town Council’s oldest community award has been given a new lease of life thanks to three local Cheshire West and Chester councillors.

The Dempster Challenge Cup for Best Allotment at Over Allotments has been awarded annually by Winsford Town Council since 1926.

But competition amongst the plot-holders at the Moss Bank site is fierce, and after nearly 90 years the sterling silver trophy was starting to show its age.

Councillors Lynda Jones, Tom Blackmore and Don Beckett used funding from their member budget grants to have the cup professionally restored.

Silversmiths in the Birmingham Jewellery Quarter straightened it out and removed a lifetime’s dents and scuffs, and AJ Parkes Jewellery in Northwich, fitted a silver collar to the plinth and hand-engraved it with the names of recent winners.

“Member budgets are given to every ward councillor to be used to help and support local communities, and what better cause was there than being able to have this historic cup restored. I am very pleased to have been able to support this,” said clr Jones.

As chance would have it, the Mayoress of Winsford, Mrs Hilary Kennedy, is the grand-daughter of the cup’s first winner, Joseph Bratt.

She will award the cup to this year’s lucky winner on Saturday 20th July, at this year’s Over Allotments Association Open Day.

Are you related to one of the past winners of this historic trophy? See the Roll of Honour at www.overallotments.co.uk

Over Allotments wants to hear from anyone who has memories or photographs of the allotments at Moss Bank, or other allotment sites in Winsford which no longer exist.