What a scorcher
It was billed as fun in the sun and for once the weather did not disappoint the thousands who attended Newark and Nottinghamshire County Show.
Last year’s umbrellas and raincoats made way for shorts, T-shirts and sunglasses, as the sun shone brightly throughout Saturday and Sunday.
Ice-cream sellers reported that fridges stocked to last the day were empty by mid-afternoon on both days and had to be replenished.
The red carpark was closed on Sunday afternoon as there were no spaces left.
Temperatures reached 23ºC — so hot that pigs were covered with soaking towels to help keep them cool, and had their ears wiped with vinegar (said to work better than suncream on livestock) to stop them burning.
Hundreds of people settled on picnic blankets or sprawled on the grass around the main ring.
The biggest crowd-pleaser was the world-renowned Colin Guppy Stuntworld Motorcycle Display Team.
Mr Guppy set up his team in his native Collingham in 1972.
Today’s team is led by him and world-record-holding fire walker Tony Theakston, who Mr Guppy signed when the two met in the King’s Head, Collingham.
The stunt team continues to recruit locally, with two members from Ollerton and one from Branston, Lincolnshire, performing in the show.
The show organisers, Newark and Nottinghamshire Agricultural Society, invested £120,000 in preparing for what is the area’s most popular annual weekend attraction.
The aisles between the trade stands had scarcely looked so busy with 54,572 visitors said to have attended over the two days.
The chief executive of the show society, Mr Adrian Johnston, said the show was the best for years.
Mr Johnston said: “We were blessed by the weather.
“At 2pm on Sunday of last year we abandoned the show, but at 4.10pm on Sunday the main ring and the showjumping were still in full swing and were until after 6pm.”
New features this year included the Environment Village, where companies promoted a greener, cleaner world.
Exhibitors included the Newark company, Playtop, which makes safe playing surfaces from granulated tyres, and whose owner, Mr Charles Lawrence, was the show president.
Mr Lawrence said: “It’s gone very, very well. It started with a good pre-show dinner and, of course, the weather has helped a great deal.
“There have been a lot of successes. It’s a shame that blue tongue disease meant we did not have as many cattle and alpacas because of the restrictions.
“Probably the thing that excites me the most because it is new is the Environment Village. It is of interest to people.”
Blue tongue restrictions caused the cancellation of the National Alpaca Show, as most of the animals could not be transported to Newark.
Dairy and beef entries were down by 350, the numbers of pig and sheep entries were also marginally down, but there were 850 horses, as well as 150 heavy horses and 40 donkeys.
Newark Police’s Specials, who patrol the event, reported no significant problems.
Show visitors included the former Chancellor and the MP for Rushcliffe, Mr Ken Clarke, the MP for Newark, Mr Patrick Mercer, and the Tory shadow agriculture minister in the House of Lords, Lord Taylor of Holbeach.
