Royal Cornwall Show an event to be proud of – retiring organizer

The Royal Cornwall Show is an event to be proud of, said its secretary, the event started earlier.

Thousands of people are expected to attend the three-day event at the Royal Cornwall Events Center near Wadebridge, which opened to ticket holders at 08:30 BST.

About 118,000 people attended the event in 2023.

Organizers said the show had “showcased the best of Cornish agriculture and supported the industry to thrive and innovate” since 1793.

Chris Riddle has been the event’s show secretary for 35 years, and this year will be his last as showrunner.

He said: “I’m certainly proud of it, now it’s not just me, it’s a huge team doing this, but I’d like to think I’m handing it over with a good heart and I have every confidence in my successor. “

He added: “I hope everyone has a great show, I’m looking forward to it.

“It’s the Three Days of Cornwall, people come and enjoy what Royal Cornwall is all about.”

His successor, Mark Stoddart, has been Society Manager at the Yorkshire Agricultural Society for more than 18 years.

He said: “The pride that everyone has in the show is absolutely amazing.

“I’m looking forward to meeting all the people, shows like this don’t exist without the volunteers and staff… it’s the heart and soul of the show.”

The show involves a variety of agricultural activities, stalls and entertainment.

Police have reminded drivers that there may be delays on local roads due to the volume of people attending the event.

Those visiting the show were asked to plan their journeys home.

Devon and Cornwall Police said visitors should “nominate a designated and sober driver before attending the show”.

The A30 will remain open throughout the event after the National Highways canceled a planned roadworks closure.

Georgia Snook-Bevis, 19, told BBC Radio Cornwall it was her first time exhibiting at the show.

“This is my first year showing pedigree Hereford cattle, so it’s a really big start,” she said.

“It’s a lot of new stuff and I’m really excited.”

Steve Dustow is the owner of Colwith Farm Distillery, which makes vodka and gin.

He said it cost him £600 for the ground floor and, with staff wages and free samples, he will spend around £2,000 in total.

Mr. Dustow said the firm would probably lose money by participating, but “in the long run, we hope to make the money back.”

Mr Riddle said he was “surprised to hear” that some companies could be losing money.

He said businesses will do “a lot of business during the show or a lot of business after the show.”

He added: “Most people say they do real business here.

“A lot of people must get by quite happily with that.”