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The Great Dorset Steam Fair
A date for your diaries is the Great Dorset Steam Show which takes place annualy at Tarrant Hinton near Blandford in Dorset. This huge five day show, the largest of it's kind in the world is situated on 650 acres of land with 25,000 exhibitors organisers and workers living on site before the public come in !! It has been described as the fifth largest town in Dorset for the duration of the show.
NHBS Show Exhibit situated on the Sid Wallace Heavy Horse Ring
No matter what your veteran or vintage interest you will find it at the Great Dorset. Everything from buses to blowlamps. The show has many sections too many to mention here but all displays are working, full details can be found by following the website link.
Heavy Haulage and Threshing Areas
Events are taking place throughout the week in the Heavy Horse Section both in the ring and at the working plots. The ploughing competition takes place on the first day with the remainder of the classes being held on the fourth day of the show. The GDSF is one of the qualifying shows for the West of England championships.
Seen here on the left is Bryony Gill ploughing with Angel & Brave Lad.
There are a lot of horse related trade stands and exhibits around the ring and always the opportunity to buy some old brasses, or new from Ali Garbett at The Heavy Horse Enthusiast stand.
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT FROM THE GREAT DORSET STEAM FAIR BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Following
a thorough review of the 2022 show, it is with great sadness and
disappointment that the Great Dorset Steam Fair Ltd Board of Directors
have to announce that unfortunately we will be taking a year’s break
before running the next Great Dorset Steam Fair event, which will now be
held over the August Bank Holiday weekend in 2024.
This
has been an extremely difficult decision for us to make. Whilst the
2022 event has been a fantastic and resounding success as a spectacle,
it has been mired by significant and spiralling increases in contractor
and infrastructure costs and the costs associated with meeting the
necessary regulatory and statutory compliance which are commensurate
with operating such a large-scale event. In short, as a big show we have
big costs, costs which have risen disproportionately this year and,
crucially, are very difficult to forecast for next year in the current
economic climate.
The event industry
as a whole is still feeling the harsh financial repercussions of the
COVID-19 Pandemic, which together with the aftermath of Brexit and the
war in Ukraine, has seen significant increases in staff, contractor,
fuel, transport, material and equipment hire prices. The likelihood is
that event costs will continue to rise in 2023, compounded by the
emergence of the cost of living crisis which will undoubtedly affect
consumer confidence and spending in the event industry next year.
Whilst
we appreciate that this will come as a surprise to many, given the
success of the 2022 event, as organisers of a large scale major event we
are acutely aware of the financial unknowns moving into 2023 with
further cost increases likely and our regular customers, exhibitors and
traders also feeling the financial squeeze. With the ongoing economic
situation, the rise in inflation and the cost of living crisis, the
reality is that it would be financially challenging for us to run the
event in 2023. It is not prudent or sensible to hold the show next year
and in order to safeguard and preserve the future of the Great Dorset
Steam Fair, we believe this to be the right decision to enable us to
continue to run a high-quality event in 2024 and beyond.
We would
like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your continued
support, and we look forward to seeing you all again between the 22nd to
26th of August 2024. Tickets for the 2024 event will be on sale from
the Autumn of 2023.