The society which organises Moreton Show celebrated its 70th birthday with an anniversary dinner on Saturday at the Frogmill Hotel, at Shipton Oliffe near Andoversford.
Moreton Show chairman, Ed Hicks welcomed more than 140 members to help celebrate the success of a show which has become an important fixture on the local agricultural and social calendar.
He said: ‘I’m proud to be chairman of this very hard-working society and to celebrate the achievements of the thousands of volunteers who have made Moreton Show so successful over the years.’
Among the guests enjoying the evening were two of the society’s longest-serving members, Georgina ‘Babs’ Attwood and Tim Gardner. ‘Babs’ became Moreton Show secretary in 1970 and organised the event from her own house in Moreton-in-Marsh until the society moved into a new office in the town in 1987. When she stepped down from the role in 1995, she was succeeded by Tim, who was secretary until 2010.
The Moreton-in-Marsh and District Agricultural and Horse Show Society was formed from the amalgamation of three local societies as the local farming community came together at the end of the Second World War. The aim was to improve standards in farming and farm crafts through competition and education and the first Moreton Show in 1949 was an instant success. It was the biggest event ever to have been held in the north Cotswolds, attracting a crowd of 2,000 people.
The show has developed and grown massively since but has always stayed true to its original aims while the society continues to organise a number of events throughout the farming year. More than 20,000 visitors are expected to be at this year’s show on the Batsford Estate on Saturday, September 7.
A spirited game of Heads and Tails and an auction helped this 70th anniversary dinner raise more than £3,000 for the society. The guest speaker was marketing consultant, Hazel Ruscoe, who stepped in at the eleventh hour when her sister, the broadcaster Sybil Ruscoe was taken ill. Hazel talked about her experiences working in football with The FA, the World Cup bid in 2006 and Tottenham Hotspur.
