Crowds of people flock to Staffordshire County Show
Crowds of people have flocked to see a popular show which has returned back with a bang after being impacted by Covid-19 last year.
The two-day Staffordshire County Show returned on Wednesday after some disruption last year with the event moving to August due to the virus.
But this year it was back to normal for the popular event at County Showground, in Weston Road in Stafford, which usually attracts tens of thousands.
And there was lots on this year, starting with the popular Big Pete and the Grim Reaper Monster Truck Display performing over both days at the venue.
Big Pete – branded the "world's only real monster truck – is 16ft tall and 12 ft wide and can jump 15ft in the area, which proved to be a hit for the crowds.
And there was a Platinum Jubilee parade at the showground on Wednesday to honour The Queen as the variety of celebrations in the region look to start on Thursday.
The event boasted more than 2,500 horses, cattle, sheep, pigs and goats, and featured giant tortoises as well as the UK's only pig stage show known as "The Hogg Show".
Visitors were greeted by more than 400 trade stands and vintage farm machine during their time at the venue, whilst donkey rides were on offer along with a mobile climbing wall.
Richard Williams, chief executive of the Staffordshire & Birmingham Agricultural Society, said: "We are extremely grateful to our sponsors, in particular our main one Rea Valley Tractors, as well as everyone involved in working around the clock to guarantee visitors a fabulous day out."
There was music from The Wabash Jazzmen and The Lea Hall Brass Band, steam railway rides, an antique fair and a craft fair and poultry, dog and rabbit shows.
And it boasted sheep shearing, show jumping, a parade of hounds and beagles, a grand parade of livestock, along with other events such as a falconry display.
One child was able to win themselves a Massey Fergusson pedal tractor, with the runner-up receiving a Massey Fergusson jigsaw and third place taking home a branded gym bag each day.
It was a competition run by Play @ Lower Drayton Farm, which runs the children's farm stand, and Staffordshire-based tractor dealer KO Machines to offer the prize package over both days of the show.
Last year's event was shifted to August 25 and August 26 due to Covid-19 restrictions and came on top of a full cancellation in June 2020 due to the virus taking hold.
Meanwhile Staffordshire County Showground was turned into a vaccine centre to press ahead with the jab roll-out and was closed in June 30 last year – after administering almost 100,000 life-saving Covid jabs in more than six months.
In 2019, the popular show saw a record number of 65,000 visitors turn out with around 500 people travelling from as far as New Zealand, Norway, Germany, France, Wales and Scotland to enter the sheep shearing competition – making it the biggest ever at Stafford.
