The Royal Show - Media & PR - Press Releases

May 18th 2009

The Good Life is Growing  

From the suburbs to the city, the countryside to the towns, thousands of people are recognising the benefits of becoming more self sufficient.   Chickens are scratching around at the bottom of the garden and this money-saving, fitness-making smallholding hobby is literally taking root in the form of planting spuds, beans, peas, salads and herbs.
 
This trend has even infiltrated Britain’s most prestigious farming event, The Royal Show, organised by RASE (the Royal Agricultural Society of England).  The Show 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 7-10 2009.
 
Visitors will have the opportunity to milk goats, watch pig agility, learn to spin alpaca wool and see exhibits including a snail farming display, wormery and a sow and litter.
 
With so many exhibitors taking part in demonstrations there really is something for everyone.  Two people who will be communicating their passion for smallholding at the Show are Clive Joyce a beekeeper from Kenilworth and Wendy Scudmore a Kune Kune pig breeder from Kentchurch.
 
Clive Joyce: Beekeeper
Clive Joyce’s passion for beekeeping began at The Royal Show 30 years ago, when he saw a beekeeping demonstration. Since then, Clive, who is 65 and from Kenilworth in Warwickshire, has become a dedicated beekeeper, and spends a great deal of his time encouraging others to do the same.
 
After his first memorable visit to The Royal Show, Clive bought some bees of his own and now keeps a colony at home and sells the honey to friends and neighbours. Clive also cares for the bees at the British Beekeeping Association’s Aipary at Stoneleigh Park, as he has done since his late 30’s.
 
Clive and his fellow beekeepers will be on hand at the in the smallholding area of The Royal Show for anybody wanting to find out more about beekeeping and what is involved. Visitors to The Royal Show will be able to observe two bee colonies, each containing an amazing 60,000 bees and a smaller observation hive (in which visitors will be able to see inside of a bees nest); learn from the experts about the lifecycle of a bee, and even try some local honey! 
 
Wendy Scudamore: Kune Kune Pigs
Wendy Scudamore’s passion for Kune Kune pigs began ten years ago when she decided to keep one as a pet. What started as a hobby quickly turned into a thriving business as the popularity and demand for these gentle creatures escalated. Today, Wendy has around thirty Kune Kune pigs that she has bred and re-homed, at the Barton Hill Animal Centre that she owns in Kentchurch in Herefordshire.
 
Wendy first exhibited her Kune Kune pigs at The Royal Show in 2002, and this is the second year she has been involved with the Smallholding Area. As a representative of the British Kune Kune Pig Society, Wendy will be encouraging show visitors to interact and handle the pigs and most importantly will be educating them about how to look after Kune Kune pigs. Wendy will also be bringing Sue – a very special Kune Kune pig that she has trained to do a range of tricks including; weaving through cones, running through tunnels and holding out his trotter.
 
Wendy is delighted by the public’s interest and enthusiasm for her Kune Kune pigs. As well as breeding and rescuing Kune Kune pigs, Wendy has set up a centre for adults with learning difficulties to work with the environment and the animals. The therapeutic activities that some 30 adults are involved in on a daily basis range from growing organic vegetables to feeding and grooming the Kune Kune pigs that live at the animal centre.
 
So make sure you have the 7 – 10 July in your diary – and meet Clive and Wendy at the Royal Show this summer. Great offers are available for booking early, including discount packages for families, students, groups and concessions. In addition, entry to the show is free for children under five.

For further information on the Royal Show or to book your tickets now visit www.royalshow.org.uk or call 0844 5811400.

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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