Mopping up after show ‘wash-out’


By Jane Shotliff ORGANISERS of the Kent County Show expect to have lost more than a quarter of a million pounds following the worst weather in the history of the show. More than 16,000 visitors


were turned away on the first day of the three-day event at the Kent County Showground, Detling, as the car parks and an- imal pens turned to quagmires. Advance ticket holders and would-be visitors who had driven miles to share in the 83rd annual agricultural event lashed out angrily at organisers for not preparing sufficiently for the show, knowing what the forecast was likely to be. Only the earliest arrivalsman-


aged to secure parking, with car parks being closed by 11am each day because of the mud. Those who managed to get


into the showground itself found conditions were not much better, as the ground took a pounding from both hooves and humans. Some traders, whose takings


were hit by the fall in numbers, have vowed never to return. Kent County Show usually at-


tracts up to 80,000 visitors and it was the first time in its 83- year history that the gates had to be closed. The show is organised by the


Kent County Agricultural Soci- ety, whose chairman, George


Clockwise, from above: Matt Greer, from Hadlow College, demonstrates sheep shearing; May Essex, left, and Holly


Berreen, from Cobtree Young Farmers were prizewinning dairy young handlers;


Bill Emptage, fromWest Far- leigh, took first place with his Jacob shearling ram; and Chris Bone, from Harrietsham, won the Aldington Trophy for the best Jacob fleece. Below right: Jon Hughes with his vintage steam roller


Jessel, apologised for the incon- venience, but said safety had to be a priority. He said: “It was a massive challenge to keep the show open, and we are grateful to those who were able to attend. “Our staff and volunteers


were magnificent in coping with the difficult conditions andmany unexpected incidents and I’d like to thank them wholeheartedly. “We know that many people would have been disappointed nottobeabletoenter theshow, and we would like to apologise for any inconvenience, but pub- lic safety was of paramount im- portance.” Staff and volunteers worked


Valley Park pupils


Kimberley Sisley (16) and Conor Russell (14), from


Maidstone,


with Holstein Friesans Esme and Penny


late every night and throughout each day to repair the car parks, as rain battered the showground. Two hundred tons of bark chippings and more than 100 tons of crushed bitumen were used to help create firm sur- faces.


Roger Moore, executive man-


ager at the showground, said: “Visitors who didmake it to the show were determined to have a good time despite theweather.


Cherries ripe but delayed, thanks to the weather By Dennis Fowle


THE cherry season has been the worst in living memory for cham- pion Maidstone grower BrianPiper – but some popular varieties are still hitting all the right taste buds. The cold wet spring meant the


bees were not as active as usual and pollinationwas the firstworry. Sometrees with the colt rootstock at his orchard in Hubbards Lane, Loose, did not fruit at all. Lackof sundelayedripeningand


the season was about two weeks late. Polythene covers andnetting protect most of Brian’s trees from the rain and birds but much un- covered fruit just split and rotted on the tree.


quagmires, but the fruit still got though to local and national mar- kets, themselves dulled by the weather. “After last year’swonderful sea-


sonwehavesufferedsomeserious disappointments this year,” said Brian.


“Cherry farming has always Cherries need the sun to pro-


duce the best sweet tastes, but several of the most popular vari- eties (Penny, Van, Sweetheart) came through the almost endless rain verywell. Orchard tracks were reduced to


been a gamble with the weather, and despite new varieties and modernmethodswedonot always win.”


Brian always figures strongly among winners at the Kent Show cherry classes. This year was not his best, but he still won five tro- phies andwas runner-up in overall points.


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“While the show stayed open, we had to close various sections of the car parks on each day to ensure public safety. However, many people did use public transport.” Among VIP visitors to the


show were Caroline Spelman, Secretary of State for the De- partment of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, farmer and TV presenter Adam Henson and fellow Countryfile presenter John Craven. Visitors were able to buy county-produced fare from crisps and ice cream to cheese and pickles in the food and Pro- duced In Kent tents. With displays of aerial gym- nastics, greetings from Titan the robot, show-jumping displays, cooking demonstrations, birds of prey, the sheep-dancing show and a Spitfire flypast, there was plenty to keep visitors busy. The Jubilee exhibition cele- brated the best of British vehi- cles from 1952 to the present. Pre-booked ticket holders re- quiring a refund will be offered equivalent tickets for the 2013 show. They should send this year’s tickets to the showground office with a covering letter.


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