UPDATE: This competition has now closed, but please use this thread to share your memories of the Royal Show over the years. 

 

As we all know, this year's Royal Show will be the last in its 160 year history. Much has been written about why the show is coming to an end - but perhaps now is the time to celebrate all that has been great about the event. And by doing so, you could win yourself a pair of free tickets for a VIP day out at the event.

RASE has said that the two people who post the best 'My Royal Show Memory' will win a pair of tickets that will give them a VIP day at the event (7-10 July). The lucky winner will get champagne and bacon rolls on arrival, lunch, a shop and drop facility and grand ring seats.

The 2009 show is actually shaping up to be one of the biggest for some years. Ticket sales are up 55% on last year and livestock entries are also strong. There's obviously a desire to mark the passing of such an historic show!

My favourite Royal Show memory was showing Welsh Section B ponies with the lady from the neighbouring farm in about 1990. She bred ponies for many years and I used to assist her at all the shows, both in preparing the animals and in the ring. That year, she had a beautiful cream pony with a foal at foot which we were showing as a pair. But foals are unpredictable creatures and pretty strong when they want to be - so this one in question did a bit of an escape act in the ring! I remember thinking as we chased it around that we'd probably blown our chances. Fortunately, the judge was very forgiving and we topped the class anyway! I remember it being a very special moment.

Stranegly enough, my other big Royal Show memory is to do with food! I have a very vivid memory of sitting on a grass bank in the sunshine eating prawn sandwiches from the M&S stand. This was in the 1980s when bought sandwiches were a big luxury!

So what is your best Royal Show memory...? 

Bass tent 1990.

We need more detail. Or is that the point - it was so good you have no memory of it!

        My goodness, Isabel, you must have been in your pram eating these sandwiches. I bet you threw the crusts out.

        My memory of the Royal must have been much earlier, in my teens, in the late 1960s. I remember (I think) the judgeing rings full of all the different breads of cattle - home breeds -  with the stewards and dignitaries (Sp) all in their "bowler hats" suits and ties!!  I also remember being driven back to my hotel in the back of a Rolls Royce!!!! The owner and the guy driving both had rather too much to drink!! Times have changed. Then my Dad sent his steak back to the kitchen - as usual!

         I mean to go to the show this year for a second and last time.

I think about 1973. Uncle Edward leading out 'Randall's' Hereford Bull. He stopped, the bull didn't.

I have good memories of the Royal in that era, the Bass tent was just one of them. As someone just finishing Harper at that time the Royal and what it stood for then was aspirational to a young lad. Fantastic animals, all the best machinery manufacturers, cars, tractor pulling.... a really good agricultural show.

The  parade of champions, can't remember which year (80's?). There was a hold up in the ring which led to the livestock and their handlers bunching up. A bull tried to mount the cow in front of him being led by a girl. The bull broke  into the ring and  one of the bowler hatted stewards grabbed hold of the bull's rope and was dragged off his feet across the ring. This amused the crowd and another steward standing beside me shouted to his colleague to remember to doff his hat when he got to the middle.

They had style in those days! 

My best Royal Show memories are from when I was a youngster(still only 16 now though) sitting on all the big machinery, still now I am mad about farming and all involved, but it isn't any of this that is my best memory of the show. The best one came about when I was 8 or 9 somewhere around 2001 and the whole family had had the day off school and work for a special farming family day out. We where round by the food hall I think and the Queen was doing her trip around the ground in the 'Royal Carriage' doing the compulsory majestic wave she I known for, and she was waving away and with that I noticed my dad had begun to wave back at her. He reckoned, and still does to this day, that she waved directly and at know one else stood there in the huge crowd she had drawn. He was even starting to talk to her trying to say hello! That moment will always stick with me, it was pure entertainment and also I can't see my dad ever letting it go either, it's been his claim to fame ever since and who knows maybe she did.

Mine is when;

I thought I lost a tenner in the shopping area and I spent 2 hours looking for it, asking all the stall holders and stewards if it had been handed in. Only to remember that I'd spent it on ice-creams... 

~Meggiewes~

I cant remember the year but i know we went on my sons birthday when he was young. We got up early that morning gave him his card and present and told him a little white lie! Before he went to school we had to go some where else first we told him "where?" he said "oh just a place to book your birthday party" i said.

 We got in the car and drove for about hour and half with the usual comments of "where are we going?" and "how much further?". The best one was "im going to by late for school!" (bless him!) As we got to the the gate we told him he wasnt going to school but to The Royal Show! As we had been the previous year he was well excited.

 The first stop is usually the food area then the livestock mainly looking at the pigs.(my favourite).My son used to like the jcb but now a bit older anything do with cars. 

We have been again since then and are hoping to go this year but i have just had an operation on my hand so im just hoping it will be ok for me to drive there.  Its a shame its ending. 

My Best memory of the Royal Show;

.... is hopefully this year at the final show.  It seems such a shame that it cannot continue.  I've never had the chance to go to the Royal as it has always clashed with my day job.  It would be great to see what everyone else talks about when they've been to the Royal.  I've always regretted not being able to have been to The Royal Show in the past, and have to go for this last one.

I hope to see lots of prime animals, the Best in the country as well as some good deals on a few things.  Then I'll tell you all about it in my blog.

Oh and hopefully large amounts of Ice Cream which means the weather is good.... 

I've had this in by email from Trevor Williams:

Another in by email this time from Sue Fildes.She says her best memory was the way the pig breeders battled on in 2007’s mud.  See attached photo, Copyright Sue Fildes 2009

 

 

standing in the ring halter rope in one hand and my prize rosette in the other i think my heifer was smiling as much as me it was only our second time of showing early  1980s.i looked up at all the showmen with their excellent cattle but as I stood there with my prize my homebred heifer had done me proud and that rosette and a picture of Lucy  hangs in the office very dusty but a treasure to me.The Royal will always be the Royal .

Another email entry - this time from Dan.

My best memory of the Royal is from I think 2005. I entered a stock judging competition on the Sunday evening, won reserve breed male champion on the Monday and on the Tuesday found out I'd won the stockjudging- aged 16 at the time. I was well chuffed! What a year!

 

Dan

My best Royal Show Memory is trying to explain to the "Mother-In-Law", non farming side of the family, the importance of the Royal Show and why she should have the kids for an overnight stay so that I and the "Better Side Of The Fence" can go to the last ever Royal Show and have a wonderful day out...

I think it's worked!!!! 

 My lasting memory of the Royal was in 1963 when I voluteered to carry a herd banner in the Grand parade of Cattle, in the excitement I picked what I thought was British Fresian banner and headed off into the ring at the head of the country's top cattle, to the amusement of the crowd. I looked up and saw I was carrying the Ayrshire banner. Oops!

 

Old Spots

.......I don't actually remember my favourite memory of the Royal Show. It was July 9th 1965. My parents and older brother lived in our house in Leamington Spa, a couple of miles from the show ground at Stoneleigh. The Royal Show was the biggest event in the area and local homeowners were asked to provide Bed and Breakfast accommodation for the many visitors as there weren't enough hotel rooms available. My Mum (heavily pregnant with me) had a house full of guests. Not one to miss out on all of the fun, I decided to arrive 2 weeks early. Dad was downstairs cooking breakfast, whilst Mum was upstairs in labour.

Throughout my childhood, the Royal Show was the highlight of the year. Over the years we met some lovely farming folk. So much so, I grew up thinking I wanted to be a farmer (until I discovered I was scared of cows) I'd love to hear from anyone who knows Mike and Gwen from Cumbria who stayed with us in the 1970's. I remember he used to come for the sheep shearing competitions and I think he may have been UK Champion at one time. 

I'm sad the hear that this is the last Royal Show. July won't be the same anymore.

 

My memory was going in the 70s with my dad, and at the age of about 14 in 1978 taking part in the massey fergusson tractor driving chalenge despite the fact you had to be over 16!! I was so nervous but we went for the briefing and they asked my dad if i was 16 and he said yes so that was it!!

I had been driving Te20s and 35s since 9 years old (yes i know stupid to think about these days) and i managed to do really well apart from getting the trailer reversed through the corall gates without jacknifing the trailer drawbar. think they were 550 or 565s with power loaders.  oh and of course there were the tractor pullers such a shame they went  the scaldwell stripper and smokey jones

totaly un pc in todays climate chucking out 1000g/co2 a minute but fantastic to watch

 Havn't been now for about 5 years

shame its is going

in 1980 when it was a blazing hot day on a school trip and I had run out of anything to drink. Still a fun day though

  

viewfromtheothersideofthefence:

My best Royal Show Memory is trying to explain to the "Mother-In-Law", non farming side of the family, the importance of the Royal Show and why she should have the kids for an overnight stay so that I and the "Better Side Of The Fence" can go to the last ever Royal Show and have a wonderful day out...

I think it's worked!!!! 

My powers of persuassion must be good, I've managed to get my Mother-In-Law to change the dates of her holiday to allow The Better Side Of The Fence  and I to go to this years Royal Show.

Thank You Very Much Aud.  I just need a ticket now!!!

My best Royal Show memories, where do I start? Being pushed over the bumpy car park fields in an 80's, blue and white striped Mothercare buggy by my Nan. The huge gates. The first glimpse of one of the many mammoth size tractors. The honey centre, yum! My Grandad naming every breed of cattle in the sheds without looking at the name plates. Being allowed to drink a whole pint of milk from one of the wonderful milk vans. Falling in love with a beautiful shire horse, all decorated in glittering sliver head collar. (I still have the photos.) Feeling so important as a steward showed us to our seats to watch the show jumping and in later years the pride of being able to take my cousins to watch the dancing diggers. Going to the royal show year after year as a child with my Sister, my Mum and Grandparents are some of the happiest memories of my life. Of family. Of excitment. Of love. Of eggy sandwiches. Of amazment.          Of the show. May this one and only year of visiting the Royal Show for my children give them such tresured memories.

This competition is now closed. The RASE picked mrscv and fed up as the winners. But given that it is the show this week, I think we could keep this going to share other memories.