GREEN-FINGERED enthusiasts gathered for the 15th annual Seedy Sunday event.

Thousands flocked to Brighton Dome Corn Exchange yesterday for the UK’s largest community seed swap.

At the heart of the event was the seed swap table, where visitors were encouraged to swap seeds saved from their own garden or allotment with seeds they want to grow in the coming season.

There were also 50 stalls from community groups, charities and small businesses, along with a pop-up café and children’s activities.

Sarah Newton, 41, came down from Croydon with her partner Martin Cleave, 44, and three-year-old daughter Isabelle.

She said: “It’s not our first time here – we come down with friends and make a big day of it.

“We love it – we are big advocates of seed swaps.

“There should be more people doing it. There should be Seedy Sundays like this all over the country.

“There’s a real community involvement down here so bring it on.”

They bagged up 40 envelopes of home-grown chilli seeds for the show.

The 41-year-old added: “It was a lovely atmosphere – there were a good few hundred in there when we were in.”

Her friend Vicky Hickson, from Brighton, helped out on a community stall, having taken on an allotment in Whitehawk.

The seed swap event also enabled gardeners from near and far to get advice from experienced growers on the practicalities of seed saving and growing from seed.

Among those giving out advice was TV personality Christine Walkden, pictured inset right, who held a talk on how to get the most out of your vegetable plot.

The TV and radio gardener was in conversation with Seedy Sunday chairman Steve Bustin.

Mr Bustin said: “She went down very well. She answered all sorts of stuff.”

He added: “It’s been great. We have had more than 2,500 people through the door and it’s gone remarkably smoothly.

“The seed table has been busy all day. A lot of people have said they have found stuff they didn’t even think of looking for.

“We are already looking towards next year and at what we can change.”

He said that while the seed swap was over until next year it was important to start seed saving from the plants which flower in the spring.

The event was held at the Corn Exchange for a second year. But the popular get-together has not always had the rub of the green, with organisers having to contest with threats of closure from the European Union.

Before last year’s event, organisers warned a move by Brussels to standardise the production and marketing of seeds could end the long-running swap.

However, the proposed EU law was quashed last March.

Mr Bustin, who feels the law is likely to return to the EU table because of the interests of big seed companies, said: “We were very pleased when it was voted down.

“But the big seed companies are already militating to bring it back and we are ready.

“The people coming to swap seeds aren’t going to make a huge difference to their costs.”

The issue focuses on a report by Sergio Silvestris, the EU’s chief rapporteur for agriculture. The report suggested standardising what seeds are made available to growers.

But critics claim it will affect amateur growers and small producers – the very people who enjoy Seedy Sunday.

Mr Bustin added: “For every single person who gets involved in our cause, it really does help.”

For more information on future events, visit seedysunday.org