Village show is being planned for the summer

It’s full-steam ahead for the West Chiltington Village Show this summer as organisers pledge to support local businesses and the community at large.

The event started life as part of the First World War peace celebrations in 1919 and, with the support of Nyetimber Estate, saw a healthy increase in entries during its centenary year in 2019 – just before the coronavirus cancelled the 2020 show.

Now that the vaccination programme is being rolled out, the committee is taking a positive approach and has determined to forge ahead with plans for the event on July 17, 2021.

Nick Vincent, show chairman, said: “In these dark days we all need something to look forward to and something to celebrate.

“The pandemic has disrupted community life and caused great hardship for many local businesses.

We want to play our part in doing everything we can to stage a show this year, to support those who live and work in the area.

“Of course, if vigilance and vaccine do not defeat Covid, then we may have to make changes, but we remain hopeful. Rest assured we’ll be watching events as they unfold, and will keep our community updated via our website.”

The village show is a fun day out for all the family, with music, entertainment and many stalls selling local food, high quality crafts, bric-a-brac and gardening products as well as providing much needed community information.

Organisers are also currently working on a new and exciting programme of entertainment, stalls, car show, sports, dog show, refreshments, and lots more.

Nearly all competition classes are unchanged from last year, so if you started a project last year, you could pick up where you left off.

Whether you sow and grow, make and bake, paint and print or are a young person, organisers hope you will have a go and have put full details and hints/ tips on its website www. westchiltsshow.org

To keep the show fresh and vibrant, organisers are always looking for new stalls and entertainers. If you know of anyone who would like to be involved please contact Nick at nickvincent49@gmail.com

For more information about the event, go to the website – www. westchiltsshow.org