The county’s major agricultural event celebrating all things farming, food and rural living has seen thousands attend, including a Royal visitor.
The Kent County Show at Detling, near Maidstone, is nearing its climax following two already action-packed days.
Spanning from Friday to Sunday, the programme has included returning favourites but also new activities and features for people to discover.
Reporters from KMFM and KMTV have been at the showground to keep people up-to-date with what’s going on at the event, which has about 300 trade stalls.
KMTV’s Abby Hook also spoke with several organisations yesterday (July 5) and asked why the county show is so important to them.
Jane Pearman is the chief executive and founder of national award-winning assistance dog charity Hypo Hounds.
Training 56 pooches to sense dangerous drops in blood sugar levels of people with diabetes, the Maidstone charity is the only one of its kind in the UK.
The Tenterden resident thought up the idea for Hypo Hounds after her daughter, Sophie, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.
Having trained dogs in the police force, Jane decided to use her skills to teach her family dog Dory to monitor smells in the air, picking up on scents which indicate a drop in human blood sugar levels, and alert Sophie.
However, with it costing £25,000 to train each dog she admits the charity needs more support.
She said: “It’s a lot of money. Like most charities at the minute we’re struggling – really, really struggling.
“We don’t charge the families either but the money has got to come from somewhere.
“Unless we get support we have to have a waiting list.
“If we have a waiting list those children that are on it, it’s just one hypo and the consequences could be fatal so we really don’t need to close that public programme this year.”
Creepy Claws also has its own demonstration area at the event.
The animal sanctuary in Teynham, near Sittingbourne, has been rescuing and looking after animals for almost 15 years.
Totally self-funded and not-for-profit, the centre takes in injured wildlife and pets people cannot manage and gives them a home for life.
Owner Michael Tyler puts on displays and talks in schools and at events, with the Lower Road sanctuary and farm also normally open to visitors.
He explained: “We have just over 300 animals and it’s more and more every single day. We’re rescuing them from people.
“At the moment the pet trade is a bit of a mess – people can’t afford to keep their pets and we get contacted by people about taking on animals.
“Even breeders from all over the UK are contacting us to say whether we can take on these animals.”
Handing Abby a tarantula, he added: “She could bite but you could bite as well but you’re not choosing to.
“It’s how you act with them which actually makes them do that. They’re really misunderstood. Even spiders are very misunderstood.”
To see the full schedule of events, click here.
On Friday, the Duchess of Edinburgh made an appearance to mark the start of events.
It’s the first time Sophie – who grew up in Brenchley, near Tunbridge Wells, and is a patron of the Association of Show and Agricultural Organisations (ASAO) – has been to Detling in 16 years.
She met local farmers and their livestock and talked to equine exhibitors and local businesses.
Matthew Cullen, chairman of the Kent County Agricultural Society, told KentOnline there has been a real buzz in the air.
He said: “There’s lots on offer, from the livestock section with all the animals, young farmers, equine sports and food halls.
“We’ve also got something a little unusual this year – live camel racing. It isn’t what you’d normally get to see.”
“At the moment, farming is going through a real tough time,” he added.
“We are committed to supporting the agricultural and rural communities. For farmers, it’s a chance to network and build relationships.
“At the showground, you get to learn where your food comes from, how it’s produced and delivered.
“We all know it [Kent] as the Garden of England, so for the rural and farming sector it’s a proud moment to come together and show off to the general public.”
Following the major publicity of Jeremy Clarkson’s TV show Clarkson’s Farm, which aired on Amazon Prime, the industry is in the spotlight now more than ever.
Matthew says it has brought farming “to the forefront” of people’s minds and has seen across different agricultural events that there has been a spike in interest.
Over the weekend, the team says up to 70,000 people could attend.
You can still book tickets for the show here with the event ending at 6pm today.
Adult tickets cost £24 and child tickets cost £3 when booked in advance. You can also pay at the gate. Under 5s go free.
