Planning for county show at advanced stage
It may be very nearly six months until our next county show, which in 2014 will take place on May 24, but arrangements are already well advanced in the hope and expectation that it will be one of the biggest and the best.
Tenders have gone out for everything from the catering to security and ice cream sales, deals are being struck with the local newspapers to ensure our advertising campaign reaches as many people as possible and all the chairmen of our several committees are sharpening their pencils to make sure everything is prepared.
In the office, judges from all parts of the United Kingdom are being booked and accommodation secured – there is much more hotel choice these days with the arrival in Shrewsbury of some of the national brands. Entertainment for the main arena must also be sourced – no easy feat when the trustees have to find the funds to pay hefty deposits months before the turnstiles open.
For our showground manager this might not be his busiest time but it is crucial that all the hirers' contracts are agreed, signed off and allocated to the now almost full calendar for the 2014 season.
"My days are not quite so long and I have now reintroduced myself to my family at weekends," says Ian Bebbington, who is just about to complete his first year as showground manager.
"However the quality of the work we do now will pay dividends next May when one major event after another seems to merge into each other," he adds. "There is little opportunity to correct errors in the contract on a Saturday morning as thousands of people start to turn up at the gate."
This is the so-called "down time" at the County Showground. And while grass-cutting might have stopped, filling sandbags in case the Severn bursts its banks, turning off the water to prevent freezing and lifting tables and chairs above the flood line becomes the order of the day.
Apart from car boot sales every Sunday morning these are the quiet months when the showground's long-suffering neighbours can have some peace and recuperation following a busy and occasionally noisy summer. And while it might be quieter, it is no less busy.
Events
For more information about the county show and events that take place at the showground, please go to www.shropshirecountyshow.com
By Bernie Hutchinson, Shropshire County Show chairman
