Western Daily Press (Saturday)
After 125 years, show still plays a vital role
The Somerford Agricultural and Horticultural Show continues to thrive, says dairy farmer Ro Collingborn
HAVING moved to the countryside many years ago, I find that country people don’t always work to the usual calendar but one more related to farming and social events. For instance, when the first calf of the year is born, the date they turn the cows out, the day they go silage making or start cutting hay.
The biggest social event round here is the Somerford Agricultural and Horticultural Show. It brings a whole community together. This year it celebrated its 125th year. One reason for its continued success is that it always seems to attract an excellent supply of young people onto its committee who run it very efficiently, as well as a very loyal group of attendees who would be loath to miss a year. This makes it a very effective way to meet up with old friends.
It usually starts during the week with the arrival of the fairground which is run by the Scarrott family with the fourth generation in attendance. It was good to see Gaffer, the fairground roustabout and backroom boy, who has been coming as long as anyone can remember.
The show covers many events, starting with the horses, where the first class of show hunters is appraised by horse copers of yesteryear balancing on fold-up chairs who are happy to throw in their two pennyworth which doubles up the judging. The Dog Show is a more recent innovation but it has been very popular.
We always used to bring our governess cart pulled by our muchloved welsh cob with the children in the back of the cart, hanging on tight. We couldn’t really compete with the immaculate turnouts that were from another planet compared with our rig out, but ours was the only one giving free rides after the event.
The main ring is always busy, the popular show jumping interspersed with the parade of local hounds followed by the vintage tractors. As the showground abuts the River Avon, it lends itself to the ever popular duck race where there is a cash prize, with the profits going to the Air Ambulance.
My early memories of the show are of a very busy day where my husband spent most of the day after the driving class stewarding. My day would start early taking a myriad of entries down to the show which could vary from the best sweetie necklace to the most polished shoe (which we never won), though we did well in the miniature garden, to a selection of homegrown vegetables where I once won the best five peas (as we were the only entry).
Then it was rushing back home to finish the picnic and cram the three ponies into a two-horse trailer ready for the afternoon gymkhana (the Shetland was happy to jump in through the side door and stand in
front) and take whichever children that weren’t already on the road in the horse and trap down to the show.
I got sight of my husband again when it was time for the picnic lunch. This attracted a host of friends who also came to pet the assortment of ponies and Welsh cob tied to the trailer in the shady spot under the hedge.
He would then disappear to his duties leaving me with three children on the leading rein and a few hours of running backwards and forwards as we competed in the bending race, ride and run (a little respite for me), hunt the sweetie, musical sacks, etc. With three competitive children that was a lot of running
and the field always seemed incredibly long!
It was always a relief when my husband eventually appeared with the cry, “And who wants to go on the dodgems?”. The dodgems being a great favourite with the children who loved crashing into each other as much as possible.
Nowadays it’s a lot easier with just the grandchildren to watch and we are often invited to share a picnic, rather than provide one. The committee meets a few times a year, but the highlight is the Somerford Show dinner held in the third week of November with many stories attached not to be told here, though any speaker at the dinner has to make sure they have a very good supply of jokes, and since the advent of the breathalyser, most attendees are picked up by long-suffering wives.
The show is a cohesive force in the countryside and long may it continue. This year was a record attendance, despite other shows taking place in the area on the same day.
In 125 years it has shown no sign of flagging.
Wiltshire farmer Ro Collingborn has been dairy chairman of the Women’s Food and Farming Union, on the Milk Development Council, the Veterinary Products Committee, the RSPCA Council and is a Wiltshire Wildlife Trust Director.