The West of England Harvest Show – Friday 27th October 2023
In 2019, this show’s name changed from The Tenbury Autumn Show to the West of England Harvest Show. Why? To signify the intention to transform it from a local show to a regional show. Richard Powell, Chairman in 2019 said “We see it becoming the show that celebrates the dedication to fruit and hop growing on this side of the country and encompasses the region’s diversity of arable and fodder production. Our geographic reach will now extend from the Teme Valley to Herefordshire, Worcestershire, South Shropshire and North Gloucestershire.
The First 50 Years of the Show have been a great success
Beginning with just 4 hop growers in 1968, it has grown to the point where where in 2018 hop entries passed the 100 mark, the show received 250+ entries overall and raised £5000 for the Tenbury Hospital League of Friends and the west Midlands Air Ambulance.
So why make the show bigger? In the words of Richard Powell, “If you’re not moving forwards, youre moving backwards”. Richard and team wanted to build on the momentum of their first 50 years and take it forward into the next 50 years with enthusiasm to involve more growers, engage more effectively with the public and increase fund raising.
“We have seen the Young Farmers getting more involved….”
“Reflecting on the way forward, we need to continue to make the event more upbeat and contemporary; something the younger generation want to get behind and promote on Social Media. one nut we have yet to crack is engaging with the public. People’s interest in what they eat has never been greater. They want to know where it’s come from, who’s produced it and how. With the graet variety of produce grown in the West of England and the opportunity our show presents for face to face interaction we are uniquely placed to satisfy this passion for provenance. However, there is a big challenge ahed in building awareness, getting people to come along to the show and giving them an entertaining, educational and informative experience,
