The Devon County Showground is a hive of activity for the next few weeks as organisers prepare for the annual, three-day extravaganza on May 17-19.

Show Secretary Ollie Allen is getting ready to welcome more than 95,000 visitors to the 117th Devon County Show and is busy pouring ‘a quart into a pint pot!’ Show plan in hand, she said: “We are getting ready to unveil a fantastic celebration of life in the Devon countryside.“ This week Ollie and her team are marking out the 93 acre site and the tent contractors will start the build which will see thousands of square metres of marquees erected to house everything from the animals to popular features like food and drink, flowers and gardens and crafts.

In addition a special stable block will be built at the centre of the Showground to house 36 international, four-legged guests.

“The spectacular Royal Canadian Mounted Police are getting ready to make their way from Canada to Europe and the UK, and will be with us at the Show,” added Ollie.

“Their entourage includes a troop of 41 officers and the 36 magnificent black horses and visitors can come and see the Mounties and their horses between performances.”

At the heart of the Show are the livestock classes and this year it looks likely that there will be a record entry, with sheep in particular coming in vast numbers.

“More sheep means more pens!” laughed Ollie. “It’s quite a juggling act to get them all in but if the master plan can be translated on the ground, we should be able to erect 846 pens to house 1,549 sheep.”

More than any other local show, the Devon County is renowned as the event which showcases the Westcountry’s magnificent food and drink.

“It’s great to welcome new producers to our Show and this year Taste of the West is organising a purely local food court near Ales from Devon, our beer and cider marquee. Spaces have been allocated for each exhibitor and now I need to ensure all the services are going in so they’ll be ready to serve up some cracking food.”

The Show is also grappling with the huge upsurge of interest in crafts. The Westcountry Crafts marquee will house local lace makers, spinners and weavers and quilters as well as local producers preparing to showcase their talents.

“It is a huge tent! It measures 240’ in length and is 80’ wide. Being a traditional style of marquee, the interior layout has to take into consideration a row of 9 ‘King’ poles which run through the centre line and 24 ‘Queen’ poles that run all the way around the canvas.

But are the April showers causing problems for Ollie and her team? “Not at all! We need the rain to make sure the Arena and horse rings have ‘good going’ at the Show. The grass is really good at the moment but it is important that there is some ‘sponge’ in the surface, especially for the show jumping competitions.”

Whether two-legged or four-legged, everyone’s needs have to be taken into account when building an event such as the Devon County Show, it is important that it is seen as a real ‘visitor experience’.