AFTER a dip in numbers, the celebrated Ipswich Flower Show will return to Otley College for a second year this month.A slump in attendance figures for the 2001 Show – held at the Suffolk Showground – meant it looked unlikely the historic show would live to see another year.

AFTER a dip in numbers, the celebrated Ipswich Flower Show will return to Otley College for a second year this month.

A slump in attendance figures for the 2001 Show – held at the Suffolk Showground – meant it looked unlikely the historic show would live to see another year.

An offer was accepted later that year, which meant that a re-structured event would take place at Otley College – seven miles north of Ipswich – in 2002.

Now the stage is set for the 174th year of the show on June 21 and 22.

Once dubbed the East of England Flower Show, this year's show promises a wide selection of floral displays, cut flowers, fruit and vegetables.

The £2 entry fee (free for accompanied under-16s) allows access to the show either between 1-5pm on Saturday or 10am-5pm on Sunday.

The Flower Show also includes traders, plant sale, and refreshments. A visit from the Suffolk Coastal District Council chairman, Cllr John Hammond, is expected on Saturday June 21.

Bernard Revans, Show Organiser and Chairman of the Ipswich Geranium Society, said: "We look forward to welcoming the people of Suffolk to the new Ipswich Flower Show – one that still retains its links with its predecessors, but which has adapted to the needs of the new millennium. We are pleased and thankful that Otley College, with its strong reputation for horticulture and floristry training, could accommodate us and our 400 exhibits again."

Otley College Principal, John Pearson, said: "We at Otley are glad that we were able to do our bit to keep the historic Ipswich Flower Show alive. We are sure that the community will find it a memorable event, with plenty of opportunities to pick up tips from experts or to find out about courses which teach the techniques."