Dear porkpal, yes they are as that is all you get! I won a Silver medal at Chelsea the first time whilst at college, then a Silver Gilt medal, but for a nursery I worked for I won a Gold medal on my own, and that is astonishingly hard work!
Yes of course you get help as it is held on the lawns of the Royal Hospital at Chelsea. This is not a Hospital for the Royal family, it was set up hundreds of years ago for the Chelsea pensioners. They are ex military and go there to live, as some are not well at all and are over 65 years old.
Every year they give up their park/gardens and it is dug up for the show and every exhibitor, after the show has to put their park/gardens back together again. It is not an easy task, believe me as you get a lot of people, including H.M. Queen at Chelsea each year for the week it is on. Last year the day i went there was 175,000 people there in the morning, packed into 6 acres! Which does not sound a lot but, the gardens and all the stands take a lot of room up, and of course the Beer tents.
Here is a Chelsea Pensioner!
Regards.
Neil.
This is the Royal Hospital where they live and are loved by the British public.
