The Royal Show - Media & PR - Press Releases

April 23rd 2009

The Good Life is Growing  

The Good Life is back – and not just in Surbiton. From the suburbs to the city, the countryside to the towns, 000s of people are planting spuds, beans, peas, salads and herbs. Chickens are scratching around at the bottom of the garden and a new, money-saving, fitness-making hobby is literally taking root.
 
This new trend has even infiltrated Britain’s most prestigious farming event, The Royal Show, which will feature a booming smallholder section alongside the traditional prize winning cattle, sheep and pigs and the big farm machinery when it opens its gates at Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire from July 7-10th.
 
Whilst some of the new, self-sufficiency brigade have gone all the way and started their own smallholding, many more are simply using back gardens and yards to produce their own food.
 
It seems that the latest garden must have is not an ornamental fountain or even a swing seat but a chicken house! Sales of chicken houses designed for domestic use are reportedly up by 30%[1] and the smallholder retailer Countrywide's, has seen a 40% increase in net sales in the last 11 months across all poultry products.  Interest in allotments is also at an all time high – with over 100,000 people[2] on a waiting list for an allotment – keen for a chance to grow and enjoy their own fruit and vegetables.
 
Simon McEwan, Editor of Country Smallholding magazine, said: "Many suppliers report that business has been very brisk over the past year. From humble beginnings in the 1970s, the 'grow-your-own revolution' is gathering pace. More and more people are growing their own food - it costs less, tastes great and is good for you. Concerns about food security, climate change, food miles and the energy crisis are also considerations. No doubt the credit crunch is having an effect too.
 
All this has driven the big-time farmers who run the RASE (the Royal Agricultural Society of England), organisers of The Royal Show, to extend the smallholders area at this year’s Show.
 
As RASE’s Sarah Beveridge said:” Keeping chickens and growing your own vegetables is just the start. We will be offering advice and practical demonstrations on beekeeping, milking goats, and even spinning the wool from your own alpacas – not to mention how to prepare a pig for slaughter or the artificial insemination of goats.”
 
For further information on the Royal Show or to book your tickets now visit www.royalshow.org.uk or call 0844 5811400.


[1] Steve Fisher Woodworking
 
[2] National Society of Leisure and Allotment Gardeners

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Notes for editor:
The Royal Show is organised by the Royal Agricultural Society of England (RASE). RASE is an independent charity with over 6,000 members including the general public and the farming community. RASE works towards a sustainable, vibrant future for British Agriculture and the rural community. For more information about RASE, please contact: 02476 696969 or visit the website www.rase.org.uk