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inside FEATURES We’re still growing strong By Jonathan Hall , marketing and communications manager at The Royal Bath & West of England Society


The Royal Bath & West of England Society, founded in September 1777, is the oldest Agricultural Society in the country. It was not the first but it has outlived all its predecessors. Founded in an age when there


was no Government departmental input into agriculture, the society, along with its private landowners, scientists and individuals in politics and public affairs, made a remarkable contribution to the development of farming practices and other aspects of the rural economy in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The Bath Society was instituted


‘for the encouragement of Agriculture, Arts, Manufacturers


and Commerce in the counties of Somerset, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire and Dorset’. In 1779, it was resolved that Devon and Cornwall, and, soon after, Hereford and other counties, would be welcomed if and when they wished to join. As its ambitions and its membership expanded, it was renamed the Bath & West of England Society in 1790. Following amalgamation with Devon County Agricultural Society in 1851 and then with the South Counties Association in 1868, the writ of the, now entitled, Bath & West and Southern Counties Society, ran from Cornwall to Kent to Oxfordshire, Hereford and South


MADE IN THE SOUTH WEST


The Royal Bath & West Show is the society’s best-known event


Wales. At the time of its centenary, it was, without question, the strongest local society in Britain. It became ‘Royal’ in its bicentennial year of 1977. Promotion of agriculture has





 


 





  


 





always been the society’s raison d’etre and thus its shows. That objective, in turn, has embraced the whole spectrum of economic, technical, social, cultural and educational improvement to rural life and the nation’s rural economy. The society’s founding principles are as true today as they were in the 18th Century, though the methods through which these objectives are achieved have moved with the times. From its home at the Bath &


processes; and the Field to Food Learning Day, which educates the next generation about farming and food production. As an agricultural charity the


‘Promotion


of Agriculture is and always has been the raison d’etre of the society’


society has a remit to offer awards, grants and scholarships for the promotion of agriculture and rural arts. This remit manifests through programmes such as The Prince of Wales Award, Environmental Youth Awards, Art Scholarship and Long Service Awards. Many ad hoc


projects have been undertaken over the years, the most recent of which was the Hills to Levels


project – a partnership


  


 


 


22 insight JULY/AUGUST 2018


West Showground in the heart of Somerset the society realises its charitable objectives through an array of activities, projects and events, the most famous of which is the Royal Bath & West Show, an annual celebration of Great British agriculture, entertainment, food and drink. Other events include The Dairy


Show, the UK’s largest dairy event; Grassland UK – showcasing grassland machinery and


between Somerset farming and nature charities that helped landowners and farmers to farm in a way that reduces flood risk throughout the county while enhancing wildlife and producing high quality food. Much of the funding for the society’s charitable activities is generated by the commercial use of the Bath & West Showground. With numerous indoor and outdoor event spaces across its 240 acres, it’s home to an eclectic range of events throughout the year.


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