Thousands flock to first two-day Heckington Show for three years

It was an emotional moment for show chairman Charles Pinchbeck to see all the volunteers’ hard work come to fruition and he said it had been a great event, drawing around 25,000 visitors to the 154th show – the most since 2016.

He said: “It has been a fantastic relaunch after three years since we have had a full show – a good crowd and everyone has said how much they have enjoyed it and looking forward to coming back next year. It is a great way to come out of the pandemic.”

The first couple of meetings of the show committee in the autumn will see them debrief and discuss exciting plans for the future.

It has been a tough few years for the show, with the cancellations and restrictions, as well as being dogged by wet weather in years prior. So Charles said it has been nice not to have to deal with anything as challenging for once, instead being able to concentrate on his livestock judging, which he loves, catching up with the exhibitors.

Ground conditions dictated a slightly different layout than usual, while the dog show, rabbit show and antiques tent were missing, with the hope that fresh recruits will organise these aspects next year. The show fields have been re-seeded over to stabilise the ground, although the main ring had to be watered for 10 days to make it soft enough for the show jumpers after the dry weather.

Looking forward Charles was excited to see so many younger entrants getting involved. The Saturday evening firework concert saw a packed main arena enjoy sounds from the Sleaford Concert Band, Charlie Russell and Take That tribute act, Rule The World. Charles added: “It was wonderful to see so many people having a good time together and the atmosphere has been wonderful. I am so proud to be part of the team that has done that. Shows have come back strongly this year, but it was not certain. We have proved that people still love it.” More pictures on pages 8 & 9