If you are a West Berkshire local, there is nothing that heralds the end of summer quite like the Newbury Show (or to give it its proper title “The Royal County of Berkshire Show”): a near perfect blend of prize pigs and helter-skelters, craft tents and pints of ale, shire horse parades and falconry diplays, all taking place in the glorious September sunshine. The Show is an evocative reminder of West Berkshire’s rich farming heritage and its absence from our annual calendar since 2019 has been felt profoundly.
I am therefore delighted that this weekend the Show will return in all its glory and I congratulate the Newbury & District Agricultural Society for all their hard work in getting back on its feet after a very challenging few years.
Financial losses from 2018 and 2019, a lack of growth in showground lettings income and a reduction in reserves following the construction of the Cattle Building on site meant that the showground was already under pressure before Covid hit in 2020. The show had to be cancelled during the pandemic for obvious reasons and the opportunities to generate rental income by leasing the land for public shows and events were inevitably constrained. In fact we became more accustomed to seeing it as a mass, drive-in, Covid testing site than a showground.
For a short period the future of the 177-acre site seemed to be in doubt and I can remember joining Zoom meetings with local groups who were anxious about its future and what might lie ahead. However the strong community response paid off. Under the leadership of the brilliant Steve Ackrill, the 1500-strong membership of the Newbury & District Agricultural Society put a stop to any potential sell-off and revitalised its board at the end of 2021.
Since then, there has been an intensive effort to prepare the showground and make necessary changes to its scope and scale in readiness for this year.
Even though the Show will be slightly scaled-back from the 2019 extravaganza, it is still hoped that some 55,000 visitors will attend. And the organisers have confirmed that it will retain its focus on promoting agriculture to the public with a strong focus on local traders and producers.
At the time of writing, the much-loved livestock competitions have been announced as well as a procession of tractors and combine harvesters from across the ages to the modern day. There will be a parade of steam engines, a heavy horse display, a food and farming zone, local produce and crafts, hot air balloons, cookery demonstrations, a gun dog display and much more. You can find more details of what lies in store via this link: www.newburyshowground.co.uk
Its been a long wait, but I am confident it will all be worth it and I look forward to seeing you there to celebrate the best of West Berkshire farming!