Full steam ahead for Midlands food and farming favourite (From Smallholder)

Full steam ahead for Midlands food and farming favourite

2:27pm Wednesday 10th June 2009

• Print
• Email
• Share

Full Steam Ahead For Midlands Food & Farming Favourite It may be curtains for Warwickshire’s Royal Show after this year, but its long running equivalent, the Three Counties Show, is already gearing up for the future.

Show organiser, the Three Counties Agricultural Society, is currently preparing for the Midlands’ favourite annual food and farming spectacular taking place at its pretty Malvern Showground home between Friday 19 and Sunday 21 June.

And, in spite of continued troubles in the industry and a tough financial climate, both livestock and equine entries, and exhibitor numbers are surprisingly healthy in the main, with pig entries up on 2008.

The show, which suffered the impact of Bluetongue last year, appears to be weathering yet another storm, and only the dairy section looks set to reduce significantly, in line with diminishing numbers of dairy farmers in the region.

Said Sharon Gilbert, Press & PR Manager for the Showground: “It would be unwise to ignore the demise of the Royal Show; the industry is very uncertain after all, but this event has survived many difficult times in recent years - foot and mouth, bovine tuberculosis, flooding and of course Bluetongue, so we’re rising to the challenge as always.

We continue to step up our efforts to build on the farming and countryside content of the event, as many farmers in Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire rely on us to provide a platform for showcasing livestock and produce. We are also introducing more new features again this year to entice visitors from both the farming and the non–farming communities.”

There’s an illustrious line-up of fine pedigree livestock for 2009 including the National Murray Grey Cattle Show which comes to Malvern for the very first time this year, and a brand new Malvern Dairy Goat show in the goat section on Saturday.

The sheep shearing classes are all qualifiers for the English Shearer of the Year Award and the Five Nations Championship English Team, and there’s a £500 prize up for grabs in the Open Shearing competition. Sheep shearing sponsor, Lister Shearing Equipment, is celebrating its centenary in 2009.

There’s also a new qualifier in the sheep section for Badger Face Welsh Mountain, and a new section for Coloured Ryeland on Sunday, and the Jacob Sheep Society returns to Malvern after a long absence.

The Grand Parade of Livestock, taking place every day, is an opportunity to see Britain’s finest breeds at close range and in all their beauty, and on the equine front, there are new carriage-driving trials and a new BSJA ‘2 Fence Show Jumping Challenge’ in the Main Arena. CLA Vice President, Harry Cotterell will join Bob Forster, Chairman of WMRAF (West Midlands Rural Affairs Forum), as a headline speaker in the Rural Business Pavilion, sponsored by Business Link, on the first day of the show. The theme - The Rural Economy – Influenced By Regional Or National Debate? – looks set to encourage a good audience and plenty of discussion.

Worcester law firm, Parkinson Wright is sponsoring this year’s Bear Pit Competition (19 June) – a ‘Dragon’s Den’ style competition to find a deserving, young business which is serving the community through innovation and sustainability. The winner will benefit from £1000 prize money and substantial business guidance.

The Three Counties Show celebrates all aspects of countryside life including locally produced food, rural skills and crafts, together with top equestrian competitions, antiques, sports, music and even hot air balloons!

Under the wider umbrella of Regional Food and Drink with its much enhanced Cookery Theatre, and cheese and cider shows, comes a brand new Farmers Market, and Italian chef, Felice Tocchini will be cooking up some delicious recipes using local produce as part of the new ‘Felice’s Kitchen’ feature.

Topping the bill on the entertainment front is the famous Kangaroo Kid, back on the show circuit for one year only, the Red Devils parachute team, harness racing, scuba diving, rugby, vintage tractors, a flower show, and rare breed cattle sheep and pigs (Sunday).

Tickets for the Show are available in advance from the Ticket Hotline on 01684 584924 or via the web site: www.threecounties.co.uk/threecounties Readers and listeners should book by Friday 12 June for discounted tickets.

• Print
• Email
• Share