The spectacular South of England Show opens its gates to over 70,000 visitors for the team at the South of England Showground in Ardingly, West Sussex, to showcase all aspects of British country life, promoting and supporting farming, country living and the rural community as well as providing first-class entertainment on 11, 12 & 13 June.
Since 1967 the South of England Show has been the flagship event of the year for the South of England Agricultural Society. Throughout the three days the 150-acre showground comes alive with hundreds of competitions, from best cattle, sheep, pig and goat breeds, to countryside skills, including the Young Craftsman of the Year and the farriers’ horse shoeing competitions.
Making a very welcome return to the show this year is the breath-taking Bolddog Lings freestyle motorcycle display team as featured in the final of Britain’s Got Talent in 2014.
This internationally acclaimed team has the largest and most sophisticated truck and landing ramp in the world – it’s been tested by the best freestyle professionals and boasts the best of British riding. The ramp allows the riders to jump gaps of more than 25 metres and reach heights of 11 metres in the air, giving the riders sufficient “air-time” to perform an array of death defying tricks.
Samson Eaton is 26 years old and regarded as one of the highest ranked FMX riders in the UK and a key member of the Bolddog Lings team. He said, “We are pumped to be coming back again this year! Over the ten years I have been with the team we have performed at dozens of shows and we always say that the South of England Show is one of the best we’ve ever done. The size of the show is spot on, the people that visit it are really friendly and everything that goes on truly makes it one of the top shows in the country to perform at.”
The South of England Agricultural Society’s chosen theme for 2015 is ‘The Next Generation’ and this will be showcased throughout the three days of the South of England Show.
Under 16s can enter for FREE (when accompanied by a paying adult) and with a 10% discount for online bookings the Society hopes to open up accessibility to the show allowing more young people and families to come and enjoy a fantastic day out.
The Society plays a significant role in introducing young people to the countryside and is committed to the on-going support of young people in the rural industry through its shows, events, competitions, bursaries and scholarships and the South of England Show offers plenty of opportunities to find out more about the work it is doing.
Colleges from across the South East including Plumpton College in East Sussex, Sparsholt College in Hampshire, Chichester College (Brinsbury Campus) in West Sussex, Berkshire College, Hadlow College in Kent and Merrist Wood in Surrey will demonstrate skills from sheep shearing to cheese making, forestry to poultry keeping as well as horticulture and floristry.
Also in the main ring every day, land-based college students will take part in a wonderful Past, Present and Future Parade of vintage to robotic equipment in motion, where old and modern will combine to show the progress that mechanical farming has achieved over the years.
Find out more about the future of farming at the NFU exhibition which will showcase the use of science and technology in both crop and livestock production; visit the Country Sports Village and catch up on the latest campaigns from the Countryside Alliance; come and meet the Heavy Horses in their own village; or be astounded by Rajko, the amazing Slovenian rock balancer who will be creating beautiful works of art live at his first ever British Country Show.
Other highlights during the three days include the ever popular Titan the Robot with his unique blend of comedy, street theatre and music; the popular micro-sized Shetland Pony Grand National, heavy horse turnouts, hound parades and world-class show jumping.
The newly zoned areas of the show offer a better visitor experience and with over 700 trade stands there is all the retail therapy required and of course for foodies there is one of the most impressive food halls in the South East. The new ‘Market Place’ offers an exciting place to shop, eat and be entertained with over 40 trade stands and 1920’s Gatsby band, Casablanca Steps, face-painting, street artists, Mish-Mash Morris Men and a few surprises.
Gates open at 9am and close at 6.30pm daily and there is free parking and a regular bus shuttle service from Haywards Heath train station to the showground. For further information and for advance ticket discounts visit www.seas.org.uk
—ends—
MEDIA INFORMATION from Natural PR: email paula@naturalpr.biz or call 01273 857242
Notes to Editors:
The South of England Agricultural Society is a registered charity that was founded in 1967 from a consolidation of agricultural societies going back to the 1830’s. The Society operates from the South of England Showground, a 150-acre site situated just outside Ardingly village in the heart of the West Sussex countryside.
Working across the six counties of Berkshire, East Sussex, Hampshire & the Isle of Wight, Kent, Surrey and West Sussex, the Society’s aims are to showcase farming, agriculture and the countryside through annual shows and serve the community through the provision of education, grants, awards, bursaries and scholarships for people with an interest or involvement in farming, agriculture and other related land based industries.
www.seas.org.uk
The Society’s flagship event is the South of England Show, which takes place in June each year. In 2015, the Society will be hosting the following events and initiatives:
Shows: Spring Garden & Leisure Show – 3 & 4 May (incorporating The Open Dog Show, The Alpaca Show) South of England Show – 11, 12 & 13 June (incorporating The Hackney Horse Show and The Hound Show) Autumn Show and Game Fair – 3 & 4 October; Winter Fair – December 5 & 6.
Educational events & competitions: Connect with the Countryside; Jim Green Memorial; Young Craftsman of the Year Competition and The Student Assignment.
Industry events and schemes: The South of England Farming Conference – 18 November and Farming and Estate Days.
Awards and bursaries: Award of Honour, travel bursaries, Nuffield Scholarships and grants to land-based colleges.
