THE hugely-popular Burwarton Show came within an ace of being called off for the second time in three years.
Organisers revealed after last Thursday’s event – which attracted more than 20,000 people – that it had only been given the green light at an emergency committee meeting on Tuesday.
At one point traffic queues of up to four miles formed on the road to the Cleobury North showground. The show was axed in 2007 because of the summer floods and the recent torrential rain put a big question mark over this year’s show.
“We had spent £2,000 on laying extra stone roadways,” explained show committee member and Journal farming correspondent Henry Yates. But it rained earlier in the week and it was a muddy and so we called a meeting.
“However the forecast was for an improvement and it would have cost us £60,000 had the show been cancelled and robbed 20,000 people of a tremendous day out – we our decision to go ahead was on a matter of judgement.”
Mr Yates said that two or three of the car parks were out of commission because of the bad weather and drivers had to be re-routed, causing delays.
“We would wish to show everyone who enjoys coming to the show that these delays will not happen again.
“The setting up of the show was the most difficult I can recalled by a long way and I have been associated with it since the late 1960s,” he said.
Local MP Philip Dunne congratulated the organisers on an “outstanding” event. “Burwarton is a great showcase of Shropshire agriculture and rural activities. It had a great variety of exhibits to engage in and amuse the record crowd,” he said.