A DIAMOND JUBILEE EVENT FOR ALL THE FAMILY

The 2012 Staffordshire County Show will be ‘diamond event’ when the gates open at the Staffordshire County Showground on June 6th for a two day extravaganza for all the family.

Falling in the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Bank Holiday week, the Show offers something for everyone, with more than 20 shows within the main event, offering non-stop entertainment from early morning until dusk.

The county’s biggest annual event opens, trade stand spaces have been snapped up with many of the major agricultural and commercial companies having rebooked their regular pitches on the 120 acre showground site.

THE 2012 SHOW FESTIVITIES

Showgoers this year are in for two days of fun and festivities with many of the organisations taking part featuring the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and the forthcoming Olympics as their themes for their members to take part in. More than 400 trade stands selling everything from combine harvesters to cutlery, horse blankets to hats and from cars to cat baskets, will be set up facing the showground’s network of roads and pathways.

The Staffordshire County Show is where town meets country providing a host of activities for all the family to enjoy during the Bank Holiday, ranging from viewing the prize winning livestock lines in Bingley Hall and the Sandylands and Argyle Centres to watching the thrills of the Bolddog Lings freestyle motorcycle team in action and the high speed equestrian scurry driving in the main ring.

With more than 20 different shows within the main event, showgoers will find 400 cattle, 500 sheep, 100 pigs and 100 goats all vying for rosettes, cups and trophies, as will 1,200 horses competing for top awards in some six judging rings

FOOD GLORIOUS FOOD

The Staffordshire County Show would not be complete without its fantastic Food Hall in the Prestwood Centre, where more than 40 food stalls present the best of local produce and where visitors will be able to see a series of cookery theatre demonstrations featuring some of the county’s top chefs.

The Heart of England Fine Food group which organises the cookery theatre will be using local produce in the demonstrations. The Showground has a number of special picnic areas, but none so special as those in Berry Hill Wood, where a barbecue of wild boar and venison is planned.

As part of the County Pursuits Arena, the Wood Fest is a delight and a must to visit with its range of traditional wood skills and crafts being demonstrated throughout the Show’s two days.

THE EVENT DIARY

The 2012 Staffordshire County Show will be packed with events to watch, admire and even try out sculling a coracle or turning a chair leg using a pole lathe. With more than 500 sheep on display, the sheep shearing competitions are well supported as sheep are fleeced in under three minutes.

Demonstrations abound, with traditional country skills of dry stone walling and thatching being among them, while others can try their hand at both fly casting and tying.

One of the highlights on both days are the Championship Parades of all the winning livestock, the parades of hounds, the inter-hunt relays, the parade of vintage machinery and heavy horse turnouts, and on the Thursday, the Young Farmers Club battle of the floats.

The Staffordshire County Show is an ideal place to find out how to keep bees, get up on antiques, look for that new car or just walk round, listen to the band, watch Punch and Judy, or enjoy a superb meal.

From early morning on Wednesday June 6th to late on Thursday evening on June 7th the 2012 Staffordshire County Show offers something for everyone in abundance.

For further details log onto www.staffscountyshowground.co.uk

A WOODLAND FEST FOR ALL

‘Real and relevant’ that is how the woodland demonstrations’ in Berry Hill Wood, as part of the annual Staffordshire County Show, have been described by visitors.

The 120 acre Staffordshire County Showground is unique amongst showground sites across the UK, by having its own 13 hectare wood, which is put to good use during the two-days of the annual show and visited by thousands of showgoers.

This year the Woodland Fest will see Britain’s only bespoke wooden clog maker in action, as well as Sherwood Koegh cleaving oak, wooden fan-bird maker Sean Hellman turn wood into delicate fans, while charcoal burner Peter Harmer shows off his skills with a chainsaw to make wooden sculptures.

Trees felled on both mornings of the Show will be dragged to a sawmill to be cut in planks.

There will be picnic areas, including a venison and wild board barbecue and special nature trails through the woods for children, organised by the Forest Of Mercia team.

FA CUP ON HAND

Staffordshire football fans who want to get up close to the FA Cup will be able to do so at this years’ Staffordshire County Show.

The Staffordshire Football Association, which will be erecting its’ FA Respect football pitch at the Show, is hoping that more county footballers will take part in the special training sessions organised during the Show.

A PRIZE WINNING CEREAL BAR

Staffordshire youngsters are being challenged to make a cereal bar ‘for an athlete’ to mark the forthcoming Olympics and enter it in a cookery competition.

The cookery classes at the Staffordshire County Show on June 6th and 7th at Stafford, includes a special class for youngsters aged between 9 and 12, who will have select the right ingredients for a healthy cereal bar, then bake it.

Once baked they can then enter it in Show’s Cookery Competition organised by the Ladies Committee of the Staffordshire and Birmingham Agricultural Society, and which this year is themed on the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and the 2012 Olympics.

WELCOME TO THE COCKERPOOS

More than 1,200 dogs are expected to be entered for the 2012 Staffordshire County Show and among them will be a new breed with the unusual name of Cockerpoos.

A team of 36 judges from across the UK will be called on to select the winners from more than 310 classes, featuring some 65 different breeds of dogs, among them the new comers the Cockerpoos.

This two-day dog show is one of the ‘shows’ within the main Staffordshire County Show, the first day sees gundogs, terriers and hounds in the six judging rings and on the Thursday it will be the turn of working, toy and utility breeds put through their paces.

BUY EARLY AND SAVE MONEY

Money saving offers are being made by the Staffordshire Birmingham Agricultural Society for those who buy advanced tickets for the 2012 Staffordshire County Show. The two-day event opens on Wednesday June 6th at the Staffordshire County Showground at Stafford, and the special advanced tickets will be available throughout Staffordshire at more than 60 outlets, from May 1.

The super saver family ticket for four is just £31 – buy it on the day and it will cost £36.

There are also special advanced offers for adults at £13, or £15 on the day, children, £3.50 or £5 on the day and OAPs £11 or £13 on the day. There will be six turnstiles open this year.

The advance ticket rates will be in operation until 5pm on Friday June 1. Among the many outlets are Post Offices, National Farmers’ Union offices, Tourist Information Offices as well as village stores and shops across Staffordshire.

The showground opens at 8 am on both days and closes at 8 pm, and there will be a regular Baker bus service from Stafford, Stoke, Hanley and Stone to and from the showground.

A special ticket hotline opens on May 1 and the number is 0800 298 0498 for credit card sales.

For more information and details of block bookings please call 01785 258060 or log onto the Staffordshire and Birmingham Agricultural Society’s website on www.staffscountryshowground.co.uk