This July, Ashby Show celebrates its 100th birthday, a milestone with much anticipation. The Ashby Show is the biggest agricultural show in the Midlands and has previously had attendance of 16,000 people for the hugely popular one-day event. The show celebrates country living and although is centred around livestock and show jumping, also incorporates entertainment for all ages, as well as instilling a sense of tradition and history with a multitude of stalls aimed at educating visitors on traditional crafts.
Ashby Show first started in 1904 and with the exception of cancellations throughout the first and second world wars, has been a date for the social calendar ever since. With the show visitor numbers growing year on year and expectations that ensures the show be bigger and better with each year that passes, the Ashby Show location is now at Cattows Farm in Heather. The Cattows farm has been owned by the Ludlam family since 1899 and today runs a very successful business alongside it’s farming, which boasts a tea room, farm shop, pick your own fruit events, events hire and invites the public to partake in the woodland walks surrounding the picturesque farm.
With seven weeks to go until the show date, visitors can expect the 100th anniversary show to be bigger than ever. Livestock is still central to the show’s foundation and there will be classes for a variety of animals from cattle and horses to smaller livestock as well as a show jumping event. In addition, there will be a diverse mix of trade stands and food and craft stalls that enable visitors to try before they buy, sampling a wide range of food in the British Farm Produce Marquee, whilst the Craft Marquee is home to many interesting stalls which in 2013 included fused glass creations, original watercolours, handmade stoneware pottery and handcrafted gifts.
Moreover, the show has a timetable of entertainment going on throughout the day such as the Bolddog Lings Motorcycle Display Team that sees the daredevil freestyle motocross riders using ramps and equipment to perform spine-tingling tricks, a vintage tractor display that heralds 100 years of agriculture and a children’s area that includes giant inflatables and a fun treasure hunt.
Ashby Show will be hosted on July 13th, we can’t promise (although we have our fingers crossed!) that the weather will be fantastic, but we know the show will be! For more information, visit the Ashby Show website here.