Farming will stay at heart of Oswestry Show, says new chairman
Farming will remain at the heart of the Oswestry Show, its new chairman has pledged ahead of the 127th one-day show.
The new chairman, Malcolm Roberts, said there would be new attractions and features this year. But he said the basis of the popular event had to remain agricultural.
The show, being held this year on August 3, regularly attracts 20,000 people.
Improvements
Visitors in 2013 will enjoy the improvements carried out over the past 18 months to the 37 acre showground on the outskirts of the town.
Mr Roberts said: "Thanks to a grant obtained from Shropshire Council's Market Towns Revitalisation Programme, improvements have been made to roads and disabled car parks.
"A new roof has been put onto the show pavilion and there is a new grandstand."
The biggest change is the moving of the show office from Arthur Street in the town centre to the showground.
Mr Roberts took over the role of chairman in April.
And he has paid tribute to the hard work carried out by retiring chairman Philip Jones, who oversaw the alterations to the showground.
"He has left the show society in a tremendous position for the future," he said.
A former Shropshire NFU chairman, Mr Roberts said: "I hope to carry on the success of the show, introducing new attractions and features but most importantly retaining the agricultural connections that is the basis of the popular one-day event.
"This year the committee is trying to make changes to the layout of the showground in the hope it will freshen things up a little for the visitors."
Longstanding show committee member Meredydd Hughes has been elected president.
The main ring entertainment, sponsored by Pickstocks Homes, is the Moto-Stunt International Stunt Team.
New to Oswestry Show, the stunt team offers a combination of motorcycle, quad and specialist Suzuki Jeeps performing high speed crossovers and trick riding including a ramp jump and fire quad leapfrog stunt.
In keeping with its traditional agricultural links, Oswestry Show has classes for cattle, sheep, goats and rare breeds with judges travelling from all corners of the British Isles.
"The splendid display of cattle lines, with the bulls that sire some of the most famous cattle in the showing world, can be found at Oswestry," Mr Roberts said.
The sheep shearing competition organised by Steve Butler was introduced to the show about five years ago and has become increasingly popular.
The competition attracts top shearers from England and Wales, with qualifying rounds held throughout the day and a grand finale where the competitors shear as fast as they can while also getting the fleeces off as tidily as possible.
