Mottram Show set to return at new location

A FANTASTIC day of fun is promised as the popular Mottram Show opens again to the public for the first time in six years.

Organisers from the Mottram and District Agricultural Society held a successful pilot at the new showground on Apple Street last year and hope this year’s show is bigger and better than ever before.

The agricultural show – one of the oldest of its kind in the country – is on Sunday, August 18 and is an all-day event, with classes starting at 9am.

Admission is £10 for adults, £5 for children aged five to 16, and children under five are free. Family tickets are also available for £25 for two adults and two children (aged five to 16).

Cash and contactless payments will be accepted and parking is free at the showground, the entrance to which is at the junction of Apple Street and A560 Mottram Old Road (postcode SK14 3AT).

Mike Martin, Chairman of the Mottram and District Agricultural Society, said visitors can expect a packed programme on offer.

“This year, as people come in, there will be a vintage Land Rover display,” he told The Correspondent on a visit to the new Mottram Show site.

“We will have various types of trade stalls – some selling food, others selling handmade crafts. We will have a Horse Show, a Sheep Show and a Cattle Show.

“We will also have a companion Dog Show – you can just turn up on the day with your dog. It’s always very popular. We’ve got some goats coming too.

“We will have a poultry display by Glossop Poultry Club. There won’t be a competition due to the bird flu legislation.

“In the big marquee, we will have arts and crafts, a cookery competition, a handicraft competition for children as well.

“In the main ring attraction, we will have a parade of the tractors and Land Rovers at different times of the day and the donkeys will have a parade to show them as well. At the side of there, we will have a gin and prosecco bar so hopefully plenty for everyone.”

The society, which is a registered charity made up entirely of volunteers who meet monthly, hopes to attract new people to the show and entice them back for future years too.

Mike added: “We have tried to pitch the cost at a reasonable price for people to get in and the same for trade stalls to encourage them to come to put something on for the general public.

“I would like people to leave here on a sunny day having had a great morning or afternoon out, saying that they will come back next year and then spread the word to their family and friends.

“We’ve not had a full show open to the public for six years since before Covid so we hope that people haven’t forgotten us.

“But after the pilot last year, I was amazed at how many people came to thank me and other members for bringing it back because it touches people’s childhood memories.

“The purpose of the pilot was to test out the new showground and the infrastructure – we learned a lot about how to improve it. We didn’t advertise it but still had hundreds of people turn up to have a look.”

The show has moved from its previous home at the Old Hall Showground because of the forthcoming construction of the A57 Mottram Bypass.

“The bypass was always planned to go through the middle of our old showground, which is up near Mottram Old Hall, so we have had to move the show,” Mike explained.

“Now that it’s definitely going ahead, National Highways and Balfour Beatty plan to be at the show to engage with the public about the scheme and what’s happening, which is great.

“We’ve had lots of help from Tameside Council, who have bought this showground for us to use and we’ve got a long-term lease on it. They also helped finance the build of the infrastructure of the new showground so we are very grateful to them for enabling us to carry on.”

Organisers are also appealing for volunteers who are needed to help out on the day of the show and to join the committee.

Anyone interested can email the society’s Secretary, Claire Dunkerley, at secretary@mottramshow.co.uk

To find out more about Mottram Show, including how to enter the classes or shows, visit https://mottramshow.co.uk/