|
OVER 144,000 FLOCK TO RAGLEY FOR GAME FAIR
MORE than 144,000 visitors from across the UK and beyond descended on Ragley Hall, near Alcester, for the world’s largest game fair at the weekend.
The Country and Landowners Association (CLA) 52nd Game Fair—the largest event held to date at Ragley Hall—was an annual three-day celebration of all things rural, including shooting, fishing, horses, food and crafts.
(Story continues below image)
Country sports enthusiasts flocked to the event where great weather and the idyllic venue contributed to an event so successful it looks set to return in three years’ time.
Game Fair organisers, along with Warwickshire Police and the highway authority, put in place a sophisticated traffic management system for the event. Although roads were slightly chaotic for a couple of hours on the Friday morning, traffic was not as bad as anticipated.
Game fair local committee chairman, David Lodder, paid tribute to the “immense goodwill” of local people in helping ensure the success of the event.
He said: “Ragley Hall is a fantastic site and I am sure it will become one of the event’s most popular venues. It’s easily accessible, the traffic system works well and it offers a well laid out, easy-to-get-around site set against the stunning backdrop of Ragley Hall.”
In front of the hall itself was the main arena, where visitors were treated to a variety of displays throughout the weekend including working sheepdogs, falconry flying and wildfowler displays. An educational falconry pageant, put on by the Hawk Board with hawk and falconry clubs gave a 15th century guide to hunting and hawking. The fully-costumed event used falcons, hawks, eagles and gundogs to demonstrate how hunting developed through the ages. Smaller rings around the showground were used to demonstrate working dogs, ferrets and gundogs.
Not only was there an abundance of stands and stalls to browse in, but young and old alike were also well provided for in terms of have-a-go entertainment. Sounds of gunshot echoed from the airgun range and shooting arena, while visitors were also invited to take part in archery, fishing tuition in the estate’s lake and gundog competitions.
Posted at 9.30am on 29th July
For the full story see the Herald of 29th July
|
