Tony Bracegirdle obituary

My father, Tony Bracegirdle, who has died aged 83, was a successful amateur rose grower and exhibitor. He won the Royal National Rose Society open championship in 1996 and 17 more times over the next 20 years. His love of roses began in 1965 when he saw “Ena Harkness” in bloom in the garden of his new wife’s childhood home. He said it was the most beautiful thing he had seen, and from that moment wanted to be a rose grower. He started breeding roses in 1974, helped by his friend and mentor Wilf Taylor. Successes came with the floribunda “Nikki” in 1983, winner of the Torridge award for best amateur rose. Roses are often named after people, in this case, his first grandchild was named after the rose. With 2,000 rose bushes, he raised an abundance of beautiful seedlings including Lancashire Glory, Holcombe Honey, Peel Brow Gold, Summerseat Son, Little Emily, Florence Favour, and Alice, after his wife. Some went on to be sold commercially including Radio Lancashire, Thora Hird, Sir Harry (after Harry Secombe) and Help the Aged. He became a committee member, shows chair and rose society judge nationally and internationally. He wrote a weekly column in Garden News and featured in other