Nottinghamshire County Show to highlight the important role of farmers in British life
This year’s Nottinghamshire County Show will help to highlight the important role that farmers play in maintaining the British way of life.
Newark and Notts Agricultural Society president, Colonel Tim Richmond, hopes that more farmers will get involved in this year's show, as is a perfect opportunity to show and share how food ends up on our tables, as well their part in managing the countryside and protecting wildlife.
On Saturday, May 10, the Nottinghamshire County Show will return for it’s 140th, and promises another day of farming, food, and fun at Newark Showground, from 9am to 5pm.
Alongside the ever-popular livestock parade and equestrian events, the main ring will be hosting a motorcycle stunt team and a lawnmower race, accompanied by food and drink stands, trade stalls and countryside games.
The show is also hosting a Make, Bake, and Grow event, where competitors go head-to-head with their home-made cakes, garden produce and crafts.
In the morning ahead of the show, the society will be holding a breakfast event, where agricultural companies and farmers from across the industry can come together to discuss issues such as succession planning and the aftermath of the spring budget.
The event will be chaired by the society's deputy president, Sir Mark Spencer, with attendees invited to stay on and enjoy the main event.
“Obviously, there are some issues surrounding farming at the moment, such as food security, and these affect everyone in the county,” said Tim.
“Not only will the society’s breakfast event bring people together to talk about them, the show itself will enable farmers to demonstrate what agriculture contributes to our country, such as high-quality food production and management of the countryside.”
As a regular visitor to the county show over the years, Tim said he understood the importance of the event in bringing groups and organisations together.
Personally the show also brings back memories of his own childhood, when his family raised geese, chickens, and pigs at their farmhouse close to the Westhorpe Estate, near Southwell.
This year’s show will commemorate the 80th anniversary of VE Day, and the hardwork and sacrifice of the wartime generation who fought the battlefield and on the home front to help keep Britain going through the Second World War.
This was something Tim was keen to celebrate, having strong links to the military himself, having served as a former officer in the Royal Artillery Territorial Army/Army Reserve, TA Colonel for the East Midlands, and county commandant of Nottinghamshire Army Cadet Force.
He said: “We want to recognise the contribution of the wartime generation, as well as demonstrate what farming would have been like during World War Two and how important it was in helping to make the country self-sufficient at a time of national emergency.”
He also reflected on the impact conflict and climate change had on food security in today’s world, saying:
“I have great respect for farmers,” he said. “Their lives are affected by so many things that are out of their control in ways that most business owners cannot contemplate, and they just get on with it,
“They are at the heart of the food security that is so vital for this country, and the show recognises that. That’s why we hope they will come down, take part in the breakfast event, and then help us to spread the message about the importance of what they do.
“And, of course, they will discover how well organised the show is and how it’s run by a group of warm and welcoming staff and volunteers who work extremely hard every year out of passion for the show and the rural way of life.”
Tickets to the county show are now on sale at a discounted rate of £14, until May 2. For more information, visit the Nottinghamshire County Show website.
