Show day is Saturday 24th June and proceedings start, as always, with the traditional Fancy Dress Parade setting off from St Peter's Academy playground at 11am prompt. There will be lots of entertainment throughout the day (see below), finishing with the 'End of Show' Dog Show and Race.

Our team of volunteers with their distinctive orange shirts will be selling programmes and raffle tickets door-to-door around the villages shortly. There are once again some great prizes in the raffle, so don't miss out on your chance to win. Programmes will also be available later in the month at the Post Office and East Bridgford News.

This year's Show highlights include:
• Elaine Hill's Sheepdog and ducks display
• Dako Flying Angels
• Seaforth Highlanders leading the Fancy Dress Parade
• Rodeo Bull
• New Wipeout Big Red Balls
• Egg throwing competition
• Dog Show
• Tug of War
• Punch & Judy shows
• Inflatable obstacle course, slide and bouncy castle
• Battle of Britain Memorial Flight fly past (weather permitting)
• A wide range of stalls to browse and buy from —OPEN FOR BUSINESS FROM 11AM
• Hog roast, barbecue, WI sandwiches and teas
• Performances by Bingham School of Dance and Starlight Dance Group
• Licensed bar and Pimms tent
• Main marquee displaying all your Homecraft and Horticultural entries.

Don't forget to bring your Homecraft and Horticultural entries to the main marquee between 8 am and 9.45am, as well as your scarecrows. Details of all the categories are in the show programme. We look forward to welcoming you all on the field on the 24th.

Claire Turner
Press Secretary

Saturday 24th June 2017
Theme: Back in Time

Village Show Update

Programmes will be sold around the village at the end of May by our representatives visiting residents door to door. So watch out for our very friendly team of orange shirted volunteers to buy your programme, which will gain you access to the show on the day. Programmes will also be sold on Show Day at the entrances to Butts Field.

We also hope that you are planning to make a scarecrow following our 'Back in Time' theme, which should be displayed outside your home from Tuesday 20th June and then brought to the showground on the morning of Show Day before 10am, so it can be displayed in front of the main marquee. It is always such a highlight of the Show to see such comical figures dotted around East Bridgford, so we encourage as many of you as possible to take part.

There is also the fancy dress parade that departs from St Peter's C of E Academy playground at 11am so please get creative with your 'Back in Time' costumes and join in the fun to create a fantastic start to the show.

As well as plenty of activities, stalls and refreshments, we have also lined up some great raffle prizes so make sure you purchase your tickets either from your programme representative in advance during their rounds or from the Raffle Stall on Show Day.

Claire Turner
Press Secretary

Village Show Update

The Village Show Committee have been busy during our monthly meetings planning for what hopefully will be another memorable and exciting village show for all ages.

Fingers crossed that the weather will be kinder to us this year without the need for umbrellas and wellies, which proved to be an essential requirement for our show in 2016!

The theme for the show this year will be "Back in Time". So rummage through your cupboards, borrow from relatives or visit the charity shop for fancy dress inspiration. Marching behind the fantastic Seaforth Highlanders at the front of the parade always conjures a sense of pride and community within East Bridgford and we would love as many people as possible to join in by displaying their own interpretation of a time in history to create a wonderful spectacle to mark the start of the 2017 Village Show.

The historical theme will continue through into the Homecraft and Horticultural marquee, which we aim to fill with a colourful display of all your flowers, vegetables, cakes, preserves and your works of art from every category. Details of the homecraft competition sections will be out next month to give you plenty of time to get creative.

Our entertainment has been booked and the line-up of main acts includes:

•Elaine Hill's Sheepdog and Ducks Demonstrating the skill, intelligence and flexibility of her Border Collies with her entertaining and educating displays of sheepdog handling and duck herding, appealing to both adults and children.

• Dako Flying Angels Display Team These local talented gymnasts never fail to impress, which is why they are a regular item on our entertainment list.

• Toot Hill Band The return by popular demand of the talented group of young musicians who last year filled the showground with their sensational melodies, lifting the mood on a wet and soggy afternoon.

Around the showground there'll be the usual mix of food, drink, stalls and activities for everyone to enjoy.
There'll also be a mix of inflatable fun including the obstacle course, bouncy castles, a rodeo ride and perhaps something different!
We are hoping the weather will allow another awe-inspiring fly past from one of the aircraft of The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight.

We still have a few more meetings before the big day, so if you have any suggestions, or want to come along, please get in touch.
Our next meeting is in the skittle alley at the Royal Oak in East Bridgford on Tuesday 28th March at 7.45pm. You will be very welcome.

Claire Turner - Press secretary

Previous Update:
The Village Show committee held their first meeting for the 2017 Show on Tuesday 1st November in the Royal Oak. The meeting was opened by Rob Bendy, chair of the committee for the second year, who welcomed those present and expressed his enthusiasm for another year of Show planning.

The Show will take place on Saturday 24th June next year and the theme, as suggested by the children of St Peter’s school and agreed at the AGM, is Back in Time. As always, the theme will be incorporated into areas of the Show, including the fancy dress parade and the scarecrow competition as well as some of the homecraft competition categories. It’s never too early to start thinking about what you can exhibit, particularly for the horticulture section where the categories remain the same year on year.

Discussions at the meeting included initial ideas on entertainment and show finances. Unfortunately the inclement weather badly affected turnout to the 2016 show and the committee regrets that it is unable to make any financial donations this year, with the exception being a contribution to costs incurred by the East Bridgford Cricket Club as a result of damage to Butts Field.

The next meeting is due to be held on Tuesday 17th January, 7.45pm in the Royal Oak. We are looking for people to fill various roles next year and would welcome anyone wishing to get involved with the running of the Show. In the meantime, if you have any suggestions or ideas you want to put to the committee, please email Rob at robbendy1@gmail.com.

Finally, the committee would like to wish you all a very happy Christmas and best wishes for the New Year.

Village Show AGM

The Annual General Meeting of the Village Show committee was held on Thursday, 15th September in the WI Hut.

The meeting began with a welcome from the chairman, Rob Bendy, to all members and new faces.

The minutes of last year's AGM were approved, and this was followed by the Chairman's Report. Rob began his report by saying that the committee should be proud of putting on another fun and memorable day for everyone.

We were unfortunately, once again, faced with difficulties - this time from the appalling weather conditions - and it showed huge determination and commitment from both committee members and volunteers to keep the show going for the enjoyment of all.

Rob reflected that it is great camaraderie and teamwork, along with this determination and commitment to continuing the long tradition of putting on a village show, that makes our 30-odd strong committee work so well, and he has enjoyed all the challenges and rewards of being in the Chair position.

He continued by saying that in order to progress, lessons must be learnt from the difficulties faced over the last two years, and these must be applied in the planning of future shows. After last year's show considerable investment was made in areas including electrics, refrigeration and insurance. This year we must consider the improvement of other areas, including the provision of more shelter on the show field and ways to protect the ground from damage in the face of inclement weather. He expressed regret at the state of the field and apologised on behalf of the committee for the inconvenience caused to the cricket club.

With regard to specific areas of the show, Rob reported that the decision to keep the bar in its new position worked well and will continue for next year, but the positioning of the BBQ proved difficult in terms of supply & demand, as well as hygiene, (its location was further away from the refrigeration area and a water source) and this will need to be considered for next year. Another area for consideration is how to improve the number of exhibits in the main marquee as this was down, although this could be attributed to the poor weather conditions in general in the months leading up to the show.

Rob concluded his report by expressing his thanks to the committee in supporting him in his role as Chairman, and naming a number of people leaving their roles after many years of hard work and dedication. These included Ruth Curtis, Chris Kirkland, Janet Richardson and Rachel Barclay from the Homecraft committee, and Andonnia Baseley, and Owain and Gemma Gunn, who are leaving this year due to other commitments. In return, the committee thanked Rob for his enthusiasm and hard work as Chairman.

The Chairman's Report was followed by the Treasurer's Report from the Treasurer, Neil Morton. Neil reported that, not surprisingly, the poor weather and consequent decrease in visitor numbers affected income across all areas of the show. We are still waiting for some final payments but, he said, it is unlikely that the show is going to make a profit this year. He expressed his view that the many who did visit the show endured the weather, stayed the whole day and had a great time, and that this was, and always is, the main priority of the village show committee; to put on an entertaining and memorable day for the village and surrounding areas.

Following the Treasurer's Report, the officers for the 2017 show were elected. Officers remained the same as last year, as follows:

Chair Rob Bendy

Vice chairs Sophie Brewill, Liz Meylan

Treasurer Neil Morton

Honorary auditor Max Teare

Secretary Louise Dudill

The committee welcomes new members and particularly those who would be interested in taking on one of the managerial roles available for next year. We are also looking for people to shadow the Chair and Vice Chair roles this year, with a view to taking over in 2018.

If you are interested in finding out more about these or any of the other roles, please come to our next meeting or get in touch with a member of the committee.

Under Any Other Business, the theme of next year's show was discussed. The committee had asked the children of St Peter's school for their ideas which were then put to a vote. From the many great ideas given, it was decided that next year's theme would be Back in Time.

The committee looks forward to the planning of next year's show, which will take place on Saturday 24th June 2017.

Rob Bendy Chairman, East Bridgford Horticultural Society

2016 Village Show Saturday 25th June

Show Theme: Rio Carnival

Show day is Saturday 25th June and proceedings start, as always, with the traditional Fancy Dress Parade setting off from St Peter’s School at 11am prompt.

From then on there’ll be plenty of entertainment throughout the day, finishing with the ‘End of the Show’ Dog Show and Race.

Programmes will be on sale door-to-door around the villages shortly – look out for our team of volunteers in their distinctive orange shirts – as well as through the Post Office and East Bridgford News later on in the month.

Also on sale will be raffle tickets with some great prizes to be won.

This year’s Show highlights include:

• Seaforth Highlanders leading the Fancy Dress Parade

• Rodeo Pig

• Wipeout Inflatable Fun

• Zoot Circus Workshop & Walkabout

• Bang On! Band

• 1936 Newton Squadron Air Cadets Drill Display

Main arena entertainment:

•Sixty Mountain Bike Stunt Team & Dako Flying Angels

• Egg-Throwing competition

• Dog Show

• Tug of War

• Punch & Judy shows

• Inflatable obstacle course, slide & bouncy castle

• RAF Spitfire or Hurricane Flypast (weather permitting)

• A wide range of stalls to browse & buy from – OPEN FOR BUSINESS FROM 11AM

• Hog roast, barbecue, pancakes, WI sandwiches and teas

• Performances by Bingham School of Dance and Starlight Dance Group

• Licensed bar, Pimm’s tent

• Main marquee displaying Homecraft & Horticultural entries

Don’t forget to bring your Homecraft and Horticulture entries to the main marquee between 8am and 9.45am, as well as your scarecrows.

We look forward to welcoming you all on to the field on the 25th.

Rob Bendy Chair, East Bridgford Horticultural Society

VILLAGE SHOW 2015

Any village show on a sunny day can bring a community together, but add in the complexity of an unfortunate and shocking incident like a fire during preparation and things can go one of two ways; either a year’s planning goes up in smoke and there’s no enjoyment for anyone, or everyone pulls together to turn a potential disaster into a wonderful and memorable occasion.

Thankfully in our case, it was the latter, and under the superb direction of Vice-Chair and Field Planner, Rob Bendy, the layout of the showground was rearranged and then all hands were on deck to move the bar and seating area, the bbq, the hog roast, plus four marquees and their contents to safer areas. With a large part of the showground in front of the pavilion now unusable, it was a mammoth task to reposition everything to new and workable locations, but it was all done with great community spirit and enthusiasm and the show got underway with only an hour’s delay.

So, at midday, the Seaforth Highlanders started the show by leading the fancy dress parade onto the showground. It couldn’t take its usual route up Main Street due to traffic congestion, but this was just one of many challenges we faced throughout the day. Instead, the parade circled the showground and then entered the main arena, where Mr Maddison once again had the difficult task of picking winners from a fantastic array of outfits fitting in with the show’s theme of ‘In the Garden’.

Despite the chaos on the roads around Butts Field, all 46 stallholders arrived and were able to set up in time for the start of the show – a great effort considering the delays in being able to drive on and off the showground.
Owain Gunn directed traffic at the main gate with calm authority and our thanks go to all who helped with traffic control along College Street and Main Road and to everyone for their patience and understanding.

No show can continue without food, and with the burgers, buns and charcoal gone up in flames it was a race against time to replace everything. Gonalston Farm Shop came to the rescue by providing in excess of 500 burgers in record time, and Kevin Booth and his fantastic team of helpers performed what was effectively a massive supermarket-sweep, going to unsuspecting shops and clearing them out of bread rolls! With help from St Peter’s school in the form of extra bbqs and charcoal, plus some necessary utensils, the food area was back up and running, and as busy as ever.
The main marquee had been setting up and receiving entries even before the fire. There is a huge amount of work done behind the scenes in this area, and it was a delight to see that, once the judging was complete and the marquee was opened to the public once again, the tables were decorated beautifully with the usual high standard and number of entries to the homecraft and horticultural categories. Well done to all our winners this year, and to everyone who entered.

We were unable to accommodate the Rodeo ‘Sheep’ as originally planned, as well as the Classic Cars which had to be abandoned due to lack of space on the field. Our thanks go to Ian Tomlinson and all the classic car owners for their understanding of the situation and we look forward to welcoming them back next year.
Due to time restrictions we also missed the egg-throwing competition and hence the opportunity to watch the catching talents of the younger visitors and to enjoy the entertaining commentary from David Maddison. Again, this will be back next year.
A few changes to the scheduled itinerary were not through our own making. The flypast, for instance, was a Hurricane and not a Dakota as originally advertised. But we’re certainly not complaining; it’s a highlight of the day and a privilege that they recognise our show at all, and all credit to Martin Waring for changing his commentary at short notice!

Around the showground plenty of entertainment went ahead unaffected; the inflatables, the junior go-carts, the donkey rides, farm corner, the walkabout circus act and the Punch & Judy stand to name but a few. The music and Morris Dancers worked together fantastically to co-ordinate their performances, while the WI hut were busy all day, providing tea and refreshments.

Sophie Brewill
Chair, East Bridgford Horticultural Society

Village Show Update June 2015
Saturday 27th June 2015
Theme: In the Garden

June is here which can only mean one thing; the annual Village Show! Show day is Saturday 27th June and proceedings start, as always, with the traditional Fancy Dress Parade setting off from St Peter’s School at 11am prompt. From then on there’ll be plenty of entertainment throughout the day, finishing with the Dog Show and Raffle Prize Draw. Programmes will be on sale door-to-door around the villages shortly – look out for our team of volunteers in their distinctive orange shirts – as well as through the Post Office and East Bridgford News later on in the month. Also on sale will be raffle tickets with some great prizes, including garden equipment, family days out, meals, beauty treatments, and much more! This year’s Show highlights include:
Seaforth Highlanders leading the Fancy Dress Parade
Morris dancing & live jazz music
Rodeo Sheep
Bungee Run
Junior Go-Karts
Circus Workshop & Walkabout
Main arena entertainment: H&M Dog Display Team & Dako Flying Angels
Egg-Throwing competition
Dog Show
Tug of War
Punch & Judy shows
Inflatable obstacle course, slide & bouncy castle
RAF Dakota Flypast (weather permitting)
A wide range of stalls to browse & buy from – OPEN FOR BUSINESS FROM 11AM
Hog roast, barbecue, pancakes, WI sandwiches and teas
Performances by Bingham School of Dance and Starlight Dance Group
Licensed bar, Pimm’s tent
Main marquee displaying Homecraft & Horticultural entries
Floral demonstrations by the East Bridgford Garden Club Don’t forget to bring your Homecraft and Horticulture entries to the main marquee between 8am and 9.45am, as well as your scarecrows.

We look forward to welcoming you all on to the field on the 27th.

Sophie Brewill Chair, East Bridgford Horticultural Society

Village Show Update May 2015
Saturday 27th June 2015
Theme: In the Garden

Village Show 2015 Saturday 27th June Theme: “In the Garden” When the committee voted on the theme for this year’s summer show, ‘In the Garden’ was an out-and-out winner, and now that spring is here and we’re venturing outdoors, it’s easy to see why. You only have to walk around East Bridgford (as I do often with my dog, Cookie) to see the care and attention given to the gardens in this village, as well as the popularity of the allotments. So – no pressure – but we’re expecting a pretty impressive display of home-grown produce in the horticultural marquee this year!
The horticultural and homecraft categories will be listed, as usual, in the show programme which will be sold around the village at the end of May (watch out for our door-to-door team in their distinctive orange shirts). They’ll also be displayed in the window of the newsagents, the notice board outside the Post Office, and also on the village website at www.eastbridgford.org, so there’s no excuse not to enter!

The same theme runs through to the fancy dress and scarecrow competitions, but don’t just think flowers – it can be anything you might find in the garden. So, as well as flowers, we’re hoping to see butterflies, fairies, gnomes, frogs, birds – and plenty more. Remember, the parade starts at 11am from St Peter’s School, where the pipe band Seaforth Highlanders will once again lead us all up Main Street and onto the showground for the start of the show.

There’ll be some fantastic raffle prizes on offer (tickets are being sold on the programme rounds and will also be available on Show day), as well as prizes for competition winners. If you’re entering the scarecrow competition you’ll need to display it outside your house from Tuesday 23rd June, but please bring it to the showground on the Show day. There’s lots planned for an exciting Show day, and we look forward to seeing you there!

Sophie Brewill Chair, East Bridgford Horticultural Society

Village Show Update March 2015
Saturday 27th June 2015
Theme: In the Garden

Preparations have started for the 2015 village show, so make sure you’ve put the date – Saturday 27th June – in your diary as it’s going to be another fun-packed day for all! Top of the agenda at our recent meetings has been the main arena entertainment, and we’re delighted to announce that this year we have lined up the following:

Dako Flyers
Always a favourite at the Show, The Dako Flying Angels are back to wow us with their gymnastic talents.

As usual, around the showground there’ll be a selection of stalls, food and refreshments, music, and the return of the Morris Dancers. For the younger visitors we have a bouncy castle, Punch & Judy, go-karts for primary school age kids, and a rodeo ‘sheep’ for – well – anyone who fancies being thrown around! There’ll also be circus entertainers, an inflatable obstacle course and slide, and, new this year, an inflatable ‘bungee run’. Come and find out what that’s all about!
We hope as many of you as possible will enter our competitions; we have the favourites, including fancy dress, egg-throwing and the dog show, and our scarecrow competition is back for another year. And, of course, we’re looking forward to all your Homecraft and Horticultural entries, too. Entry details will be in the show programme, coming out soon.

Sophie Brewill
Chairman

Show Update - December 2014

On the slightly later than scheduled date of Tuesday 11^th November, Village Show committee members met for the first meeting of the 2015 Village Show. Our venue was the Reindeer Inn, and although it hadn’t officially opened at this time, new tenant, Martin Hallam and his wife Emma were happy to open the bar for us and give us a sneak preview of the newly refurbished pub.

Numbers were high around the table, and in addition to the familiar faces we were pleased to welcome Adrian Driver, Neil Morton and Roz Howie onto the committee.

You may wonder why all the planning starts so early when the event isn’t until next June, but from past experience we know that booking the entertainment promptly is essential if we’re not to miss out – we clash with Glastonbury you know!

If you have any suggestions or ideas you want to put to us, please drop me an email at brewill@btinternet.com.

For stalls, please contact Simon Christensen at christensen@hotmail.co.uk.

Finally, from the success of last year’s show we are delighted to make donations totalling £2,675 to the following village organisations:

St Peter’s Church (plus Kneeton Church)
Methodist Church

We are also pleased to donate the village Christmas Tree and lights and would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas.

Sophie Brewill

Chair, East Bridgford Horticultural Society

VILLAGE SHOW AGM

The Annual General Meeting of the Village Show committee was held on Thursday 18^th September in the WI Hut.

Chair, Sophie Brewill, congratulated the committee on achieving what they had all set out to do last year - to provide an exciting day out to celebrate the 150^th anniversary of the Show. The additional expenditure spent on entertainment and decoration had indeed made it a memorable event, with a record 3,679 visitors through the gates and plenty of positive feedback. Her words were followed by the Treasurer’s report, presented by Huw Cadwallader, which showed that the finances were in place for the 2015 village show and for making donations to selected village societies and other causes.

The Officers for the 2015 Village Show are:

Chair:                        Sophie Brewill

Vice Chair:               Rob Bendy

Vice Chair                Liz Meylan

(continuity)   

Treasurer:                Neil Morton

Honorary Auditor:    Max Teare

Secretary:                 Andonnia Baseley

The date of the first committee meeting for the 2015 Show is Tuesday 4^th November, venue to be confirmed. If you are interested in attending please email the Secretary on andonniab@gmail.com.

Finally, the committee expressed its thanks to retiring Treasurer Huw Cadwallader for all his hard work and commitment to the Show, and to Martin Waring and Lisa Hampson, who are retiring from managing the Bar and Pimms tents respectively. All have held these positions for a number of years and their time and effort has been greatly appreciated.