Mention the Bath & West Showground and most people conjure up a vision of a four day spectacular with plenty to see and do – a great fun day out, especially if the weather is right!
But the Bath & West is not just about the Royal Bath & West Show – events happen all year round at the busy Showground, and a recent study has shown the Shepton Mallet-based event centre generates a massive £164 million per year boost for the rural economy.
Dire Straits and Lulu have performed there in front of screaming crowds. Frank Bruno and Prince Nazeem have fought there. The Queen and most leading members of the Royal Family have graced it with their presence over the years. And the chances are that several readers have visited on many an occasion too!
The Bath & West Showground - a venue so versatile that one day it can be residence for a herd of pristine dairy cows on show, and the next transformed into a glittering gourmet restaurant or a stage for a chart-topping star.
From antique fairs to show jumping, from motorcycle shows to gardening events, from dog shows to adventure sports there’s something to suit everyone happening all year round at the south west’s biggest and best agricultural and event centre.
From just 15 events in 1979 there is now a hardly a clear space in the diary. And as well as being used for every public event imaginable the venue is also popular for private functions from weddings and 21st celebrations to dinners and balls and private meetings.
Beside busy events the Showground runs its own special interest shows. Now in its eleventh successful year the National Amateur Gardening Show in September attracts over 34,000 visitors and is hailed as the little Chelsea of the West. Specialist shows for the farmers include Grassland UK which attracts nearly 5,000 farmers, and the Dairy Show in October, which plays a vital role in this major milk and livestock producing area. But the jewel in the crown is the Royal Bath and West Show, which attracts over 160,000 people.
The Showground employs 33 permanent staff, and is spear-headed by 56 committees, but its ranks are swelled during the Royal Bath & West Show to over 1,000 thanks to the dedicated team of helpers who volunteer their services to ensure the event goes like clockwork.
It also has an active ever-growing membership – members enjoy free entry to all four days of the Royal Bath & West Show, discounts to various shows and other events, and can take advantage of offers and discounts from several businesses and companies.
Over one million visitors pour through the Showground gates each year. But while the variety of events widens, supporting agriculture and the farmer is still very much at the forefront of all its operations.
The Royal Bath & West of England Society, a registered charity, was founded in 1777 in the Georgian City of Bath - making it the oldest agricultural society in the country. In those days the shows went to the people - to publicise and popularise the very latest developments in husbandry, livestock breeding and machinery to the farming community.
A group of foresighted gentlemen, led by Sir Edmund Rack, got together in Bath and formed a Society aimed at encouraging “agriculture, arts, manufactures and commerce”, and so the Royal Bath & West of England Society was born. Its original aims are the foundations of the Society’s work today - through its events, conferences and the many scholarships and competitions it spearheads, and the huge boost it gives the rural economy.
For many years the Show was held at different sites around the country travelling as far and wide as Nottingham, Birmingham and Wimbledon. It was known as a peripatetic show - and the logistics of packing up, storing, transporting and setting up on different sites all over the country year after year must have been overwhelming for all those involved - as well as extremely costly.
And so the search was launched for a suitable permanent base and in 1964 the Society bought 212 acres of farming land from the Longman family and over the years many purpose built buildings and roadways have been added. The site now covers 240 acres.
Now the historic organisation faces a new chapter in its success story. The in-depth report into the economic impact of the Showground and its far-reaching effects has just been unveiled, highlighting the fact that its events generate a massive £164 million per year boost for the rural economy, from tourism and employment to education and agricultural industries.
The findings now form the corner-stone of the Royal Bath & West of England Society’s mission to draw attention to the important role it plays in the region and underpin its case for the future funding of an ambitious re-development programme which includes new multi-purpose exhibition halls, new catering facilities and an on-site business village which will offer a range of business, community and training activities and help it to continue to fulfil its charitable aims of supporting agriculture and the rural economy.
Mr John Vintcent, chairman of the Society’s Executive Board said: “We have always been very proud of what the Society does and of its value to the local community and the entire region. But we have never been able to substantiate our claims until now,” he said.
“Now we have firm anecdotal evidence to use to talk to people when we are trying to get funds for the future development of the Showground. We have a professionally prepared piece of work which gives huge amounts of detail about the benefits the Society provides go the local community and local business people.”