Tickets for this year’s Nottinghamshire County Show have gone on sale with organisers working hard to line up a host of fun activities showcasing the region’s livestock, food producers and the countryside way of living.
The Newark and Nottinghamshire Agricultural Society, which hosts the show, says there’s already been plenty of early interest from visitors keen to book their place for when the event returns to the Newark Showground on .
It follows a highly successful event last year when thousands of people took advantage of some gorgeous late spring weather to attend the show, which was being held for the first time in two years because of COVID-19.
This year’s event will offer a blend of new and much-loved attractions, including the Young Farmers Association’s madcap lawnmower race (pictured below), a display from the Red Barrows wheelbarrow display team, an agility dog show and a parade of vintage tractors.
There’ll also be a chance to show off prize cattle, sheep and heavy horses – with rabbits returning for 2023, too – alongside equine competitions, livestock displays, food and drink sales, craft stalls and trade stands.
And there’ll be renewed emphasis on getting people to bring their own produce along to the show in the relaunched Make, Bake and Grow competition, which offers prizes for the best cakes, home-grown vegetables, jams and chutneys.
While last year’s show brought the local agricultural community back together after the two-year hiatus, this year’s event is taking place against a backdrop of rising food and energy costs and a shortage of familiar produce, most notably eggs, on shop shelves.
Thanks to its meat, eggs and millions of tons of vegetables such as sugar beet, carrots and potatoes produced across Nottinghamshire, agriculture contributes £292m to our economy and plays an important role in making sure families across the county can continue to put food on the table.
The show gives everyone a chance to see how farming is adapting to the current pressures and working towards producing food sustainably and affordably, while also giving you the chance to socialise and enjoy events that reflect the lighter side of the industry.
Show organiser Elizabeth Halsall said: “We had a fantastic return for the show last year and already we’re working hard to ensure that this year has an exciting line up of events ready for our visitors on 13th May.
“The county show has a history stretching back for centuries and, as a society it’s our role to make sure it showcases everything the local agriculture industry is about, from the machinery to the animals, to the way of life.
“There’s no getting away from the fact that the agriculture industry has come under huge cost pressures over the past year and everybody is bearing the brunt of rising food prices.
“This will doubtless play a major part in some of the talks and conversations that will take place throughout the day, while we’ll also celebrate everything that makes farming in the county so special.”
Advance adult tickets for the show cost £11, but children aged 16 and under will get in free, to encourage as many people as possible to visit the show.
To find out more and buy your tickets, please visit www.nottinghamshirecountyshow.com.