Staffordshire County Show hailed a success as thousands attend two-day event - PICTURES and VIDEO
Thousands flooded to Staffordshire County Show during half term despite the rain.
The mood would not be dampened for the show’s 218th year as up to 65,000 people are estimated to have visited.
It followed on from record-breaking pre-show ticket sales.
WATCH: Crowds flock to county show
Three overflow car parks had to be opened for visitors to enjoy main attractions including the JCB Dancing Diggers.
Richard Williams, Chief Executive of the Staffordshire and Birmingham Agricultural Society, said: “I am delighted, I couldn’t really be more delighted.
"The forecast was quite mixed but people had fun despite the rain on the first day and on day two the fog cleared by breakfast time.
"The numbers of people coming in on both days was absolutely fantastic.
“The rain does not seem to have damped people’s enthusiasm."
PICTURES from the event
He added: “We are looking to increase the educational aspect of the show too. The ‘Ask Me I’m A Farmer’ badges went down well and we will expand this in future years, aiming to answer people’s questions.
"It is important consumers understand exactly where their food comes from, from the field through the supply chain.”
During the two days the show had a number of high profile visitors who attended to talk to farmers.
Neil Parish MP, the chairman of the Government’s Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee, attended to speak about the impact of Brexit on the industry as well as Rob Newbery, the NFU West Midlands regional director.
The show enjoyed the best year it has seen for many years for sheep entry numbers. Around 1,000 sheep were entered, including 90 Jacob sheep.
There were around 200 pigs, 250 cattle, 1,200 dogs, 1,500 horses and ponies and 40 boar goats. For trade stands, virtually everywhere was sold out and Richard said the food hall could have been filled twice over.
