.jpg)
Town and country came
together with crowds of nearly 70,000 at this year’s South of England Show at
Ardingly, celebrating the best of the region’s country life.
President of the Agricultural
Society, Penelope Keith CBE DL, opened the show with the new World of Poultry
exhibit, created by the Arun Valley Poultry Fanciers from Worthing, who also
won Best Trade Exhibit for their display of poultry from across the world.
Show organisers were
delighted to host the micro-sized Shetland Grand National on Saturday [June 6],
with young competitors racing for charity and crowds enjoying a wealth of
spectacular displays in the four arenas including showjumping, Young Farmers
Club tug of war, duck herding, Bolddog Lings motorcycle stunts and much more.
Every day, visitors were be
able to see over 760 examples of beef and dairy cattle, sheep, pigs and goats
on display and champions and owners alike had their moment of glory in the
livestock parade which took place daily in the Ardingly ring. Nicholas Soames
MP also opened public voting for the Sussex Food & Drink Awards 2013/14,
seeking the county’s best food and drink businesses from plough to plate.
There was a pitch invasion of
children running with the gentle giant foxhound packs in the Ardingly Ring on
Saturday and the 150-acre showground was alive with hundreds of competitions, from
best cattle, sheep, pig and goat breeds, to countryside skills, including the Young Craftsman of the Year and the
farriers’ horse shoeing competitions.
Said Penelope Keith,
President of the South of England Agricultural Society, “The show has been a huge
success this year and we are thrilled with the support of people - from both
town and country - for our region’s farmers and others in the rural industries.
“We all want to eat quality
British food and enjoy our beautiful countryside so we need to support our
agricultural community. During the three
days we have also enjoyed celebrating the great traditions of the country, some
superb displays and performances, lots of fun and games and great shopping.”
Despite sunny weather
forecasts, a freak thunderstorm and torrential rain hit the showground for two
hours on Friday morning, though this did not deter the hardy showjumpers. For the rest of the weekend the sun shone on
the showground, helping attract thousands of people from across the South East
as well as many international visitors.
Over 1,500 horses and ponies took
part in the equestrian showcase that forms an enormous part of the three-day
extravaganza. From the impressive heavy horse turnouts to the fast paced
inter-hunt relay, spectacular show jumping to beautiful hackneys – there was something there for everyone.
Education is echoed
throughout the showground and is at the heart of the South of England Agricultural
Society’s charity work, with the Knowledge Box for children, helping them
learning about different animals and where their food comes from. Pupils from
Bolnore Village Primary School, a Forest School, gave inspiring demonstrations
of woodland conservation in the Round House in the Wildlife, Farming and Forestry.
Find out more at www.seas.org.uk and vote in the Sussex Food
& Drink Awards at www.sussexfoodawards.biz
Follow the Society on Facebook:
‘SouthofEnglandShowground’, Twitter @ sofeshowground and read the Blog at SouthofEnglandShowground.
