CountyShowisback!
A BUMPER crowd turned out to celebrate the perfect blend of traditional countryside pursuits and magnificent main ring entertainment at the 140th Derbyshire County Show.
Thousands of visitors enjoyed the family-friendly event – which had not been staged for two years due to the pandemic – yesterday at the 56-acre Elvaston Showground.
Crowds were entertained in the main ring by equestrian display teams, parades of heavy horses and Shetland Pony Racing, as well as two deathdefying performances from Stanage Stunt Team.
Children queued up to get up close and personal with giant tortoises, while others enjoyed donkey rides and even had the opportunity to take an alpaca for a walk.
Hundreds of hounds took part in the companion dog show, while performances from the likes of the lumberjack sports team amazed onlookers.
There were lengthy queues at some of the county’s best food producers, including Project D, the MilkShake Shack, Tori and Ben’s Farm and Yiannis Greek Restaurant.
Visitors also enjoyed craft and trade stalls, floral displays and homemade cakes and jams from the Women’s Institute, as well as a selection of vintage cars, from the majestic Rolls-Royce to the humble Austin 7. There was also a parade of tractors, lorries, steam engines and machinery, all lovingly restored by enthusiasts, from a bygone era.
Show secretary Claire Bowman said: “It’s too early for us to say if this was a record crowd, but we are absolutely delighted that the people of Derbyshire turned out to support us.
“The entire day is organised by a group of hard-working volunteers and it is quite literally a year-long project, so we are thrilled to have such a fantastic turn-out on the day itself. It has been such a long time since our last show, which was in 2019, and it feels very special to be all together once again. We really did have something for every member of the family, it’s a perfect blend of farming and fun, and thankfully the weather was great, too. “I think we all deserve a few days to recover and then we’ll start planning for next year – which we hope will be even bigger and better than this year.”