Chairman’s Blog

Chairman’s report at the 2008 Wash up meeting held at Sheepdrove by kind permission of the Kindersley’s.

 Good evening and welcome to Sheepdrove.  Thank you all for coming. I think before we start the meeting we should acknowledge the sad death in August of John E Pallet Chairman of the Society in 1966 and Gerald J Ward President of the Society in l974, who sadly died on the Tuesday after the show.  What an amazing show.  The sun shone, loads of people came 65000 and they all had a jolly good time.   The treasurer even tells us we might make a profit.  I did not have a radio so was unaware of any issues.  In a minute we will hear some of the positive feedback and some of the problems which must be discussed that is the purpose of this meeting.  They will be minimal as I am sure that Becky’s pile of complimentary letters far outweighs the critical ones.  When the sun shines everything is right with the world.  When you consider Fairford Air show was cancelled, Arlesford Show had to cancel at the eleventh hour owing over £100K, Blenheim Horse Trials cancelled two days into the event I was getting into panic mode the weekend before our show and had a word with John Townend and he turned the weather around.  It was a wonderful show - I thought that the Household Cavalry were spectacular and I hope that some of you were able to leave your post just to watch them. They are so British in the same way that our livestock and farmers are the envy and pride of the world.  Wasn’t it great to see them back. But of course the show does not only revolve around the main ring.It revolves around all of you, the section heads, your volunteers and stewards, sponsors  -the sections that you run so efficiently thank you so much.   It was the most wonderful two days for me.  You are the ones that make it all possible.  The time and effort and commitment from every Section Head is extraordinary and goes on to support every Chairman – we are all working towards one goal to make our visitors feel welcome and give them a good time in the most professional and safe way and I think that we definitely achieved that.  I just was very lucky to be in the Chair at the right time when the sun shone perfectly and the livestock returned - it is my turn and I feel very privileged and honoured to have represented the Society at all the different occasions during the year.  But our Society is bigger and more important than an individual and the Show would go on whatever I did or did not do.    I tried never to loose sight of that.  Thank you all. I would also like to pay tribute to and have respect for the office staff under our ruler Becky the hours and commitment by them is also extraordinary.   I have attended over 130 meetings since this time last year at which at least one of them was present and they would have attended many more, most of which are out of what I call office hours.  So enormous thank you  to Becky, Catherine, Natalie and Kirsten our voices and faces of the society.  Catherine totally filled the tradespace this year and the sport section was a success.  We wish Kirsten good luck in her final year at Uni, I expect she has learnt far more from NS seat of learning than she ever will from Bournemouth.   As a ‘man’ with a plan when I took the chair my theme was Education, Children and the Countryside so I was delighted that the Countryside Day was a sell out with a waiting list.  I thought that the Romford Band were amazing with the little 10 year old. The education initiatives are really taking off but Pam HB will enlarge on that.   My mission for next year is to try to run a Berkshire County Harvest Festival Service at venue to be decided.  Please take a copy of the Safety Professional report and read it at your leisure and write to Becky with any comments but please treat this as a confidential document.   

There is a trip to see the Calendar Girls at the Swan Theatre in high Wycombe on the 30 October.  Please book your tickets through the office. 

Newbury and District Agricultural Societies Award of Merit

The Award of Merit is the Society's premier public award and is designed to reward a meritorious and outstanding contribution to the Society, its aims, work, and objectives. I am sure you will agree that the recipients this year achieved all of the above.

One of this year's recipients was born in Newbury and spent his working life glass blowing scientific instruments at Harwell. A side line started glass blowing ornamental animals and flowers. This interest led him to exhibit in the Craft tent at The Newbury Show and at other craft fairs. With his expertise of shows and his connections were invaluable assets to the Craft committee which he was then asked to join. He still seems to have time to put up all the tables up in the craft tent for the exhibitors.

Intelligence tells me of an incident in the craft tent when a gas bottle caught fire with quick action from his professional expertise a disaster was averted and all dealt with before the Fire Brigade arrived on the scene.

He has been a member of the Garden and Leisure Show Committee since 1990.

In 1999 Roger Palmer was trying to upgrade the Country Area and persuaded the recipient to start a Working Rural Craft section not as a rival to the main craft tent but to display more rustic and working rural crafts. This he does in addition to Chairing the Country Area.

Behind every hard working man there is of course a hard working lady and therefore the co- recipient - this is very much a dual effort - wherever he goes she goes three steps behind or besides at the computer when the data is being put on - they quietly get on with jobs and it is thought sometimes that elves have visited the office or the showground overnight.

All the Show signs are stored in the Barn. At the end of Sunday night the signs are tossed into the barn with gay abandon to get off home as soon as possible. The recipients take it upon themselves to take them out, clean them, sort them out and put them back in alphabetical and chronological order, section by section including Banners so that they are ready for the next year, and none are ordered unnecessarily. These are all thankless tasks nobody wants to volunteer for.

For the last few years they have been putting all livestock entries on to the system. This year has seen the re-jigging of the database. Not to mention the stuffing - this is not a culinary term but that used for filling envelopes for mailing out to members, trade stands, exhibitors etc. The only days they are allowed out of the Newbury Showground office is when there is a race meeting on locally, normally a Friday so theirs is really only a four day week. This was a hobby taken up to prevent him from working 24/7.

Their contribution and hours put in are just endless and they are of course known in the office as the Legends and are Muriel and Dave Herbert.

SHOW DINNER 18 TH JULY 2008

Mr President, Sponsors, Members, Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen.

My President and I would like to extend a warm welcome to the Society dinner at Barn Elms Farm. I trust that on your way through the farm yard you averted your eyes away from the agricultural artefacts and eco-friendly loos until you found yourselves down by the lakeside, which is slightly more pleasing on the eye. I apologise for this but I am married to a farmer - better known as one man and his bog.

I stand here before you this evening as the 3 rd Lady Chairman of the Shows Council in the 99th year of the Society. What an honour and a privilege. Thank you so much for allowing me to carry out this task. My President and I are delighted to see so many of you here and a special thank you to our very generous Sponsors, Section Heads, Stewards and all the Volunteers who give so much of their precious time and support to the Society. There are too many to mention by name but it could not happen without all of you. The Society is very grateful.

The time 1908, the place the Agricultural Halls Islington, the occasion the birth of a new organization called the National Farmers' Union started by a Lincolnshire Farmer, Colin Campbell. The Newbury and District Agricultural Society are delighted to welcome the NFU President Peter Kendall here tonight in what must be a very busy centenary year. We will hear from him in just a few minutes. What a change in those 100 years - labourers have become single machines, farm cottages are let out to pay the mortgage but agriculture is still and always will be important. People do want to know where their food is coming from and how it gets there. There will be 9 billion people in the world in 20 years time and they have to eat. We are proud to be farmers of a very small piece of the landscape of rural Berkshire that still produces 200 acres of corn, 60 beef cattle and of course not forgetting the 7 little pigs.

Taking a stroll down Memory Lane to my first show at Love Lane, Shaw in 1981 when George was in a pram, David Rabbits was Chairman and Julian Sheffield was President, I was given the task of painting the main ring fencing posts, unlike everybody else who started with car parks - not a job for a women we hear you say. Lew Spencer ran the show with his assistant Beryl Fisher from a portacabin where the Vodafone HQ now stands and the life membership was just £50 - what a bargain. What a change. How rules and regulations have altered requiring the creation of a modern busy office with all that that entails as show/event business is now an industry. I would like to extend my great appreciation to all in the show office, Becky, Catherine, Natalie and Kirsten and her team who make our job at the helm a very enjoyable one.

Education has been at the heart of our theme this year. With our Education officer, Jo, now on board we are spreading the word of Farming and the countryside around the County and into our primary and secondary schools. I have been to several schools to talk about the show -a school hall full of 250 x 15 year olds is quite scary. I believe our next generation are keen to learn and we are delighted that our Society Countryside day here continues to thrive year after year, giving 8-16 year olds the chance of experiencing a mini game fair where they can have a go at handling gundogs, ferrets, birds of prey, clay pigeon shooting, air rifle targets and fly fishing. Most of them would not normally have those opportunities.

We look forward to the show in September and being a Windsorian I am very pleased that we will welcome the Household Cavalry Musical Ride. I am especially delighted as my father was Chairman of the Royal Windsor Horse Show and my Uncle a founder committee member of the Royal Windsor Horse Show. We hope that we have on offer something for everybody, young or old, whether you are interested in the countryside, farming, horticulture, shopping, music, show jumping, livestock, sport or pole climbing.

Before I introduce my president I am sure you would like to join me in thanking the Caterers, Clarks from Farnborough for the delicious dinner which I would like to point out is all sourced from Britain . Also to all those that have helped put this evening together. Thank you. Please do take home your handwritten book mark place name as a memento.

Enough of my ramblings, I am proud to introduce my President, Richard who has been a tower of strength and very supportive in every aspect of the Society's objectives. We have had an amazing year which has gone very quickly - a trip to the Fullers brewery, the summer party at his home in Penwood on a lovely evening in June, a race meeting, and a stable yard trip amongst others.

Richard and I have attempted to talk to everyone during the year, been in the right place at the right time and wearing our badges with PRIDE. This is of course with Newbury Pride not London Pride.

Pride standing for: - Pursuits, Rural, Interest, Diversification, Education

May I now introduce our President to make a few remarks.

We went to Ascot Race day on their children- go- free countryside day on Friday 11th April.  Mick Crockford, Vanessa Day, Daisy (not the cow but the daughter) and I were there with a stand and our milking cow Buttercup. The children loved getting hands on with Buttercup and we also took other activities such as colouring tractors, puzzle with matching the right vegetable to the right pictures. 

Buttercup the Milking Cow

At the Countryside day there were also many other agricultural actives such as a Tractor from Shorts for the children to climb all over.  It was great day out for all the children, and a competition was run for a child to attend our Countryside day at Barn Elms.   Big thank you to all the volunteers involved, who got up at an unearthly hour to get the tent put up before the thunder and lightening hit. This was fantastic advertising for both the Society and The Royal County of Berkshire Show, we had also supported the day with a number of ideas for the organisers.

On St Georges Day Becky Elvin and I went to the Downs School to do the Saturday Night Challenge which was an exhausting day, ending in a prize ceremony in assembly.  The best ideas were the Saturday Late Night Treats and the Cats Pyjamas consisting of music concert, catwalk and talent show. 

Rogation Sunday held on the 27th April at Barn Elms Farm and was a great success; eighty-five people enjoyed a lovely tour on John Bishop trailers of the Bradfield parish followed by a sermon in the bluebells. A fantastic tea provided by Michael Bissell and his team. Once again thank you to all who helped.

The Fuller's Brewery trip was a huge success with London Pride, discovering all choices of beer in the cellar, followed by a very informative tour of the Griffin brewery by 3 different guides.  What an enormous site, followed by a very tasty fork supper and cheese with even more sampling of their beer. 

Don't forget your fancy pants entries the WI are running this raise funds and awareness for Ovarian Cancer, entries close in the middle of July.

Make a note in your diary for future Society events; spaces are still available so get your forms in quick! Newbury Race night on the 24th June, The Society Dinner on the 18th July and Peter Kendall of the NFU in their 100th year will be coming to speak, Junior Countryside day 6th August,  Sunset Boulevard 14th August.