Count-down to the county’s big day out
Wednesday 20th and Thursday 21st June 2012 at the Lincolnshire Showground, Grange de Lings
This year’s Lincolnshire Show will come to life at the 200 acre Grange-De-Lings site on 20th and 21st June, with world-class jousting from the Knights of the Damned, two qualifier heats for the Kennel Club’s Scruffts mixed breed dog show; top level show-jumping and a host of shopping opportunities.
Reflecting the agricultural heart to the Show, this year’s events will include the ever popular pig racing; the spectacular Grand Parade of the best of the county’s livestock and the vintage to modern day agricultural machinery display.
As well as the county’s finest animals on show, there will be an exciting mix of rural and family attractions during the two days, including the best of Lincolnshire produce at the massive Select Lincolnshire and Tastes of Lincolnshire Food Court, home to a mouth-watering selection of local produce and some great homemade recipe demonstrations throughout each day from local food champion Rachel Green. The Discovery Zone will be hosting Pork to Fork : The story of the Sausage, explaining how one of Lincolnshire’s most famous products reaches the table, and other Show performances will range from falconry to bee keeping.
Clydesdale Bank and Duckworth’s Land Rover are once again major sponsors for the Show, where one of the star attractions is Knights of the Damned, the medieval jousting stunt team, regular favourites at the Show. This year they will be in prime position, having moved to the Main Ring, where they will appear on both Show days, led by Justin Pearson, whose film credits include Harry Potter, Pirates of the Caribbean and most recently the Madonna film WE. The troupe includes two young local riders, Rob and James Pavey. Their display includes high adrenalin clashes on horseback and superbly choreographed foot fights with swords, flaming fireballs on chains and unyielding quarterstaffs.
This year’s Sports Zone has top billing in the run up to the 2012 London Games, and will be encouraging visitors to try their hand at a huge range of Olympic and Paralympic sports. This year’s sports include cricket, golf, wheelchair basketball, canoeing, volleyball, table tennis, hockey, athletics and the ever-popular Zorb Balls. The Sports Zone is one of Lincolnshire Sports Partnership’s biggest events and last year nearly 6000 people took part in the Sports Zone over the two-days.
For the second year running, dogs will be allowed on the Showground, with dog rescue centre Jerry Green running a doggie crèche on both days. Scruffts have confirmed that they will be running a regional heat on both days of the Show this year for their Family Crossbreed Dog of the Year competition, giving Lincolnshire two regional winners in the 2012 national final. Also confirmed is an appearance from Merlin, the ambassador dog for Hearing Dogs for Deaf People, who is on a special mission to raise £30,000 for the charity during its 30th anniversary year. The charity trains dogs to alert deaf people to important sounds and danger signals in the home, work place and public buildings.
More than a thousand young people will be taking part in the Schools Challenge over the two days, demonstrating their understanding of food, farming and agriculture, as well as having a go at making sausages with Uncle Henry’s cafe and farm shop. This year’s challenges range from learning about the optimum growing conditions for potatoes, to coming up with a marketing strategy to encourage young people to visit the Lincolnshire Show.
For horse lovers, there’s a busy competition programme in the equine rings; top level showjumping in the main ring; and retired racehorses will have their day once again, with Market Rasen Racecourse sponsoring two ex-racehorse classes at the Show. The sponsorship comes as the Racecourse seeks to raise awareness about the care of thoroughbreds after they leave the sport.
There is also special entertainment for the Wednesday evening, with the Bush Doctors band. The cover band has been playing to audiences all over the UK during the past 12 years, and this year sees them playing the outdoor stage at the Lincolnshire Show, in the Lincolnshire Agricultural Society members’ area. And according to lead singer Richard Aksam, the band will be delivering a set that’s designed to suit all tastes and guarantee that everyone is swinging along. He said: “This promises to be one of the biggest and best gigs of our summer schedule."
For shoppers, there will be boutique-style stalls in the Mews and a shop-to-drop experience at the 600 trade stands at the Show, offering anything from a new car to a pair of shoes.
Jayne Southall, who will be leading the Showground team in her first year as the Director of the Lincolnshire Agricultural Society and Lincolnshire Events Centre, said: “We’ve got a fantastic line-up for this year.
“The heart of the Show is to tell the story behind the county’s agriculture and food production and to encourage more people to put local produce top of their shopping list, but it is also a major visitor attraction which helps to bring Lincolnshire’s wider visitor and tourism story to a national audience.
She added: “Lincolnshire has so much to shout about, and the Show has a vital role to play as a flagship event for the county.”
Each year the Show is a big earner for the county of Lincolnshire and it is estimated that every £1 spent at the Show generates £20 in the local economy and the Show provides a major boost for local hotels and B&Bs, creating demand for 18,400 overnight stays locally.
Visit the Lincolnshire Show website at www.lincolnshireshow.co.uk for more information and to book your tickets or call the ticket hotline on 0845 2305171
Ticket prices have been held at 2011 prices and offer discounts on advance purchase:
Adult £20 : £18 in advance
Young person age 17-22 : £15 available in advance only
Child – age 5-16 – £6 : £5.50 in advance
Family – 2 adults and 3 children – £45 : £40 in advance
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Twitter: @lincsshow
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Media enquiries:
Karen Malpass at Lincolnshire Events Centre in Lincolnshire Agricultural Society
kmalpass@lincs-events.co.uk - 01522 585504
Maggie Taylor at Prima PR
maggie@primapr.co.uk – 01400 251557 / 0797 3767 602
Editor’s Note:
Lincolnshire Events Centre is a major national conferencing venue, home of the Lincolnshire Show and the groundbreaking EPIC project. Just outside the historic city of Lincoln, the Centre hosts events for 10 to 10,000 visitors on its 200 acre showground site and 3000 square metres of indoor exhibition and venue space.
Outdoor events include the flagship Lincolnshire Show, antiques fairs and horse trials, attracting over 200,000 visitors each year. Under cover, there are exhibition halls and conferencing facilities, including the recently completed EPIC centre, the second largest purpose-designed showcase for environmental technologies in the UK, it enables event organisers to reduce, monitor and offset their carbon footprint.
Just the ticket for early birds
See coverage of this story: Lincolnshire Echo
Sales have already taken off for this year’s Lincolnshire Show, after tickets went on sale three months earlier than usual.
Tickets are not usually available in outlets until April, but organisers opened this year’s online bookings at the end of January, and are already reporting good interest.
Billed as Lincolnshire’s big day out, the Lincolnshire Show is organised by the Lincolnshire Agricultural Society to boost awareness of countryside matters, and the vital role that agriculture plays in the local economy.
One of the few county shows to remain true to its heritage, each year it attracts around 60,000 visitors, as well as some 600 exhibitors.
Clydesdale Bank and Duckworth's Land Rover are once again major sponsors for the Show, which will take place on Wednesday 20th and Thursday 21st June 2012. Full plans will be unveiled soon, but organisers say this year’s line up promises to appeal to all tastes and ages.
It includes world-class jousting from the Knights of the Damned, a qualifier heat for the Kennel Club’s Scruffts mixed breed dog show; top level show-jumping and a host of shopping opportunities.
And reflecting the agricultural heart to the Show, this year’s events will include the ever popular pig racing; the spectacular Grand Parade of the best of the county’s livestock and the vintage to modern day agricultural machinery display.
Director Jayne Southall said: “Plans are well advanced and it’s great to see the interest on these early ticket sales. Most importantly at this stage, we are seeing excellent support from both exhibitors and sponsors.
“It’s great to see local businesses supporting their local community by supporting the Show. Many come every year, and that’s because it’s also a valuable route to reach their customers.”
Each year the Show is a big earner for the county of Lincolnshire and it is estimated that every £1 spent at the Show generates £20 in the local economy and the Show provides a major boost for local hotels and B&Bs, creating demand for 18,400 overnight stays locally.
Jayne Southall, who took over late last year as director of Lincolnshire Events Centre, the Showground’s major year-round regional conferencing and outdoor events centre, added: “I want to see further growth this year across sponsorship, trade exhibitors and overall attendance figures. The show is a major tourism attraction on the county calendar, but still has huge unexploited potential and I want to attract more interest from within and outside the county.”
ENDS
Media enquiries:
Karen Malpass at Lincolnshire Events Centre in Lincolnshire Agricultural Society
kmalpass@lincs-events.co.uk - 01522 585504
Maggie Taylor at Prima PR
maggie@primapr.co.uk – 01400 251557 / 0797 3767 602
Editor’s Note:
Lincolnshire Events Centre is a major national conferencing venue, home of the Lincolnshire Show and the groundbreaking EPIC project. Just outside the historic city of Lincoln, the Centre hosts events for 10 to 10,000 visitors on its 200 acre showground site and 3000 square metres of indoor exhibition and venue space.
Outdoor events include the flagship Lincolnshire Show, antiques fairs and horse trials, attracting over 200,000 visitors each year. Under cover, there are exhibition halls and conferencing facilities, including the recently completed EPIC centre, the second largest purpose-designed showcase for environmental technologies in the UK, it enables event organisers to reduce, monitor and offset their carbon footprint.
County’s big day out promises more than ever
Lincolnshire Show 2011 : Feature article : download a copy of this : County’s big day out promises more than ever
Pictures for download on Flickr : click here
More, more, more.... That’s the message from the organisers of this year’s Lincolnshire Show - the County’s big day out.
The two-day event is overflowing with attractions for the whole family and organisers promise that it will be even bigger and better than ever.
For at this 127th Show, there are more family attractions, more delicious foods from local producers, more schools taking part in the big Challenge and more sports to try out. There are also more new attractions - like Express Eventing and the Scruffts crossbreed pooch competition.
It’s all taking place at the Lincolnshire Showground, Grange de Lings on Wednesday 22nd and Thursday 23rd June 2011.
One of the star attractions, the Knights of the Damned, are returning with a new show. Britain’s premier medieval jousting stunt team are promising more excitement and a new format for this year, according to leader Justin Pearson, who is fresh back from performing the stunts on Pirates of the Caribbean IV. The troupe also includes two local riders, Rob and James Pavey, both 21 and just qualifying as stuntmen. The Knights of the Damned will be performing both days of the Show in the Isuzu Countryside Arena.
This year’s Sports Zone is doubled in size and in the run up to the 2012 Olympics, it will feature almost all the Olympic sports. Features include the ECB cricket factory – an 11 x 9m self contained cricket batting and fielding area. Boston United will bring their inflatable penalty shoot out and wheelchair basketball in an inflatable sports barn, 20 x 11 ft. For water based sports, Lincoln Canoe Club will have virtual racing machines linked to a computer screen for visitors to test their technique and the RYA will have dinghies on show. Other sports include table tennis, volleyball, badminton, hockey and a specially adapted set up for street athletics.
Joining the Show will be Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls from the county. They are all on the Lincolnshire Elite Champions programme and include Andy Skinner of Lincoln, the GB sitting volleyball player; Bernice Wilson, the 100m sprinter from Boston, who has just undertaken the European championship; and Richard Sargent, representing wheelchair basketball.
Said Marc Rhodes, events officer with Lincolnshire Sports Partnership: “We’ve got a fantastic range of sports on offer for visitors to try out, including nearly all the Olympic sports. My favourite thing about coming to the Lincolnshire Show is the sheer numbers we get taking part. Last year we had 3,400 young people taking part and around 1,000 adults. We’re hoping to beat that this year, with even more on offer.”
In the Exhibition Hall, more local schools than ever will be taking part in this year’s Schools’ Challenge, sponsored by Farmacy Plc and E Park and Sons, it aims to encourage young people to understand more about food, farming and agriculture. Phil Everett, marketing and communications coordinator with the Education Business Partnership explained: “Every previous year we have been over-subscribed so we’ve decided to move from the Discovery Zone into the Exhibition Hall, and that allows us to have 33 entrants this year. We’ve also got a new special schools category. It’s all booked up and with a waiting list – the schools love it.”
Primary, secondary and special schools are all taking part and one new challenge for this year is called One Brand, which encourages young people to make contact with a school in a different country, where they speak a different language and have a different climate.
Phil added: “Lincolnshire is a rural county and this Challenge gives children an excellent foundation in understanding where food comes from and how it can be sourced locally. They also go on farm visits as part of the Challenge which helps to show career options in the horticulture and agricultural industry.”
This year is a real first for dog lovers. For the first time dogs will be allowed to join in the fun at the Show. They must be kept on a lead, but owners can also leave them with a special doggy-crèche being run during the Show by local animal charity, Jerry Green Dog Rescue. And not only can people bring their dogs, there’s also a chance to compete - with the Kennel Club Scruffts Competition, sponsored by James Wellbeloved, taking place at Thursday’s Show. The four competitions taking place are The Most Handsome Crossbreed Dog, The Prettiest Crossbreed Bitch, Child’s Best Friend and Golden Oldie Crossbreed. Entries for the heats will be taken on the day.
A major new attraction that will make it into the Clydesdale Bank Main Ring this year is the qualifying heat for Express Eventing, a mini version of eventing which promises a thrill a minute. The Express Eventing Series 2011 will see dressage, cross country and show jumping being completed in one arena. Eventing celebrity and 2008 winner Oliver Townend has already announced his intention to compete. “I am really looking forward to having the chance to compete. It is developing into a spectator and TV friendly version of our great sport.”
Throughout the Show, the Lincs FM stage will host the best acts who make it through the qualifiers of the radio station’s You’ve Got Talent competition. Also appearing will be two successful acts from previous years - The Substitutes and Route East. Said Katie Trinder of Lincs FM: “We have something for everyone on the stage during the two days – from rap music to heavy rock, pop to classical.” The Lincs FM presenters will also be trying their skills as a dance troupe, with some help from local dance school Streetbeat.
And BBC Lincolnshire will be in a new home near the entrance to the Clydesdale Bank Main Ring, with on stage entertainment throughout the two days, together with an exhibition explaining the digital switchover which is coming to Lincolnshire this summer.
The Select Lincolnshire and Tastes of Lincolnshire Food Court will feature a special Lincolnshire producer and supplier section this year, with a mouth-watering selection of local produce and some great homemade recipe demonstrations throughout each day from local food champion Rachel Green.
The Select Lincolnshire programme aims to raise awareness of the county’s food brands directly to the consumer. Its sister organisation Tastes of Lincolnshire encourages tourism destinations like bed and breakfasts and farm shops to put Lincolnshire produce on the menu.
“The Show is the home of Lincolnshire produce, which is arguably the best in Britain, and we need to be shouting about it,” said Helen Scott of Select Lincolnshire and Tastes of Lincolnshire. “The biggest draw is always the demonstration marquee and we’re very pleased to have local celebrity chef Rachel Green leading the line up once more.”
In the Greenhouse, a range of companies will be explaining how to live a more sustainable lifestyle. The organiser, Jo Huggett, director of 4Eco explained: “We have put together companies who cover a range of different techniques, and importantly they are all accredited organisations.” Technologies on display include solar power, biomass, wind turbines, ground source heat pumps and rain water harvesting.
And for the shopper, there will be more than 600 stands to visit, including the boutique style shopping on The Mews avenue featuring everything from bespoke kitchens to handmade pearl bracelets.
Alongside all the new attractions will be the features that lie at the heart of the Show’s traditional agricultural heritage, with events such as pig racing, showjumping, the spectacular Grand Parade of the best of the county’s livestock sponsored by Saul Fairholm in the Clydesdale Bank Main Ring and the vintage to modern day agricultural machinery display sponsored by Spaldings and Woldmarsh.
And from one of the county’s farms, an outstanding family tradition will be recognised when four brothers from Wrisdale’s farm in Wainfleet St Mary’s receive Long Service Awards, sponsored by Harold Woolgar Insurance for their contribution to the farming industry. For Norman, Percy, Gordon and Colin Gostelow have served a total of 174 years between them. Oldest brother Norman first started work in 1961, following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather at the farm.
Said Mark Farmer, chief executive of Lincolnshire Agricultural Society: “This is the county’s big day out and we’re really thrilled with this year’s line up. There’s something for everyone who has a love of the countryside.”
He added: “The Lincolnshire Show is an agricultural show, one of the few county shows to remain true to its agricultural heritage, a strength which has carried us forward. It’s important to stimulate awareness of countryside matters, and the vital role that agriculture plays in the local economy.”
The Show will be open from 8am to 6pm each day. Visit the Show’s website for more information and to book your tickets www.lincs-events.co.uk or call the ticket hotline 0845 2305171
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www.lincolnshireshowground.co.uk