Hard work made show sparkling success

We were absolutely delighted with the turnout, and of course the weather, and it was a fantastic day enjoyed by all.

There was some speculation about the weather ahead of the show but we had a wonderful day and a big crowd, which is always pleasing.

There were plenty of positive comments from visitors and exhibitors as I made my way around the showground during the course of the day.

It’s always a bit of a whirl because there is so much to do and so many people to meet and greet but the show was a huge success.

We had a wide variety of trade stands, a flypast from the Dakota – which brought a tear to the eye of anyone of a certain age – and some great attractions in the main arena, including the Bolddog Lings motorcycle display team who were very popular.

There were plenty of visitors lining up for the monster truck rides and we saw the best turnout for the livestock classes, horse and poultry shows for many years.

The food and craft marquees were very impressive and I’m sure many visitors were able to take a range of ideas with them to try out at home.

We always believe in giving our visitors the ultimate show experience with great value for money and once again this year were pleased to say many of our activities were free once visitors had made their way through the gates.

The face painting, storytelling, magic shows, circus workshops, flight simulator experiences, laser tag, BMX biking, canoeing, animal encounters, train rides and drumming workshops proved very popular – and not just with the children.

I would like to thank all the people who helped make the show such a success. Their hard work and dedication is always appreciated, and thanks also go to all those visitors who turned up on the day to make Shropshire County Show another success.

Numbers through the gates were slightly up on last year with between 8,000 and 9,000 people enjoying the show, and I think the free entry for children certainly had a positive impact on attendance figures.

Now it’s nearly time to start thinking about next year!

Neale Sadler is Shropshire County Show chairman