We made the best of it

9:14am Monday 8th September 2008

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LAST-minute cancellation was nearly an option, show secretary Sam Mackenzie-Green revealed.

She said Friday's downpours and the impact of vehicles getting into place was almost a killer for the organisers.

But she said: "We didn't really think of calling it off, not really. But I don't think we could have possibly gone ahead on any other ground.

"We decided that the word cancellation doesn't exist in our vocabulary.

"We've been working on this show for a year - we couldn't just call it off if we could avoid it.

"But I do realise that it hasn't been a good show for some people, traders especially."

She paid tribute to the team of 250 people who beaver away behind the scenes to make the show a success. They include committee members, youth groups such as Army Cadets and the Scouts and an army of people working on everything that needs to be done.

She said: "They are a great team and made of strong stuff.

"It's been a bad year for a lot of shows round the country. I'm pleased that on the whole people have enjoyed this one and made the best of it."

The get-out from the field will be phased over a longer time than usual because of the conditions. The field will be power-harrowed and re-seeded to restore it for its normal use - grazing for sheep.