Could it be the end of the historic Bakewell Show?

The future of the historic Bakewell Show has been cast into doubt after a '˜disastrous' event last week.
A tractor helps a motorhome negotiate the muddy venue last week.A tractor helps a motorhome negotiate the muddy venue last week.
A tractor helps a motorhome negotiate the muddy venue last week.

‘Unprecedented’ weather caused long traffic queues as motorists got stuck in thick mud. A number of acts also had to be cancelled.

Talks were held on Tuesday to decide whether or not the show has a future.

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One of the organisers of the show, Janet Bailey, said: “I am fearful for the future of the show.

Heavy rain saw the Bakewell Showground turn into a mud bathHeavy rain saw the Bakewell Showground turn into a mud bath
Heavy rain saw the Bakewell Showground turn into a mud bath

“It was definitely the worst show I have been concerned with in the 30 years I have been associated with it. It was disastrous.

People have been coming here for 30 years and said they have never seen anything like it. The weather was unprecedented.

“Everybody worked their socks off and did what they could.”

Heavy rain and thunderstorms last Tuesday afternoon turned the showground into a mud bath, with visitors turning around and going home after waiting in queues of more than two hours on Wednesday morning.

Bakewell Show, Bessie the dog, Charlie May Parker and mum Vicky ClarkBakewell Show, Bessie the dog, Charlie May Parker and mum Vicky Clark
Bakewell Show, Bessie the dog, Charlie May Parker and mum Vicky Clark
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The bad weather also caused the temporary closure of a car park and a number of events in the Centre Ring to be cancelled on the 187th year of the show.

“We had an amazing team working on the car park but on Wednesday people kept getting stuck,” Janet told the Derbyshire Times.

“The unfortunate thing is that British summer time is not a summer.

“We had to cancel most of the Centre Ring because it was like a sponge.

Heavy rain saw the Bakewell Showground turn into a mud bathHeavy rain saw the Bakewell Showground turn into a mud bath
Heavy rain saw the Bakewell Showground turn into a mud bath
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“There were other sections which had an amazing show but unfortunately we are not Sheffield Arena - we are not all in one area.”

On a good year the show can attract around 50,000 people but numbers were nowhere near that figure this year.

Talks between organisers and committees were held on Tuesday (August 8) afternoon to see where the show goes from here.

Janet said: “It is sad because we are two years off being 200 years old.

Bakewell Show, Bessie the dog, Charlie May Parker and mum Vicky ClarkBakewell Show, Bessie the dog, Charlie May Parker and mum Vicky Clark
Bakewell Show, Bessie the dog, Charlie May Parker and mum Vicky Clark
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“It is tragic in a way because it is all about history and tradition.”

She added: “However hard we tried we could not turn it around.”

Derbyshire Times photographer, Jason Chadwick, who went up to the site on Wednesday morning, said: “It was the worst ground conditions in 30 years of visiting Bakewell show. I was pulled in and out by a tractor. The roads in the area were appalling.”