Three men who have spent decades at the heart of the Gillingham & Shaftesbury Show share memories of the characters, chaos and camaraderie that have made it such a fixture of the farming year.
Every August, thousands of people stream through the gates of the Gillingham & Shaftesbury Show. For visitors it’s a day out. For exhibitors, stewards and volunteers, it’s months of preparation, years of tradition … and more than a few tales that still get retold over a pint in the Members’ Tent – from escaped cattle and muddy disasters to free whisky and the characters who helped build one of Dorset’s best-loved agricultural events.
Dorset Life July 2026
We sat down with three men who have each spent decades helping shape the show. Brian Bennett began volunteering in 1975 and later became chairman. David Jeans has devoted much of his life to the sheep section after joining the Society’s council as a young man. Richard Read, of Read Agriservices, has exhibited machinery at the show for around 30 years.
“We’ve always enjoyed it as a good day out,” says David. “If people don’t enjoy being part of it, you won’t get the support. It’s always been a social occasion as much as anything.”
Building a show in two days
Visitors today see neatly laid-out avenues, permanent tracks and smart livestock lines … but it wasn’t always so organised.
“When I first got involved,” says David, “we’d wait until after Sturminster Market on the Monday, then a convoy of Land Rovers and trailers would go and collect the calf hurdles. Then we had the Tuesday to get everything set up before the show opened on Wednesday.”
“It’s a lot easier now,” Brian says. “GPS marks everything out – years ago there was an awful lot more measuring and pegging!”
Even so, the show has always depended on volunteers: “We’ve relied on them for years,” he says. “So many local firms have got involved, helping with drainage and improvements over the years. People have always mucked in.”
When the weather fought back
Moving to the permanent Motcombe showground transformed the event, although not everyone believed it would work. “When we first came here people thought it was the wettest ground in Dorset,” David laughs. “But now it’s established.”
Years of drainage work and permanent tracks have transformed the site. And some years that work is more necessary than others. The trio all vividly remember the exceptionally wet show of 2012.
“It was too wet for the public, really, but all the farmers came, and the contractors and brought all their staff. Apparently some of the tractor firms did better than usual! That was my first year as chairman,” says Brian. “I spent most of the day on a tractor towing things!”
The real characters
Ask any livestock steward and they’ll tell you that animals occasionally have ideas of their own.
“We had a steer get away one year,” Brian remembers. “It went through the hedge and crossed the road. We found it, but couldn’t get it back until the following day.”
David recalls another memorable escape involving Simmental cattle … “There have been one or two moments over the years,” he says diplomatically.
Perhaps not the stories any publicity officer would have chosen (or allow us to share!).
But like every agricultural show, it wasn’t just the livestock that people came to see. There were unforgettable personalities too. David remembers one respected shepherd who was known for being wonderfully knowledgeable … and, occasionally, wonderfully fiery: “He was a very qualified shepherd, but he was a bit fractious at times. The word went round that if he took over chair of the sheep section, there’d soon be no committee left to support him!”
Alongside the colourful characters came countless quiet volunteers. Richard is quick to point out that many of the people who kept the show running rarely received much recognition: “The women did an awful lot of the preparation work, the fundraising, the food. They were the unsung heroes.”
Like many agricultural societies of its era, the organisation was long male-dominated. That has changed significantly. Today, Show Secretary Cat Harris is the first woman to hold the role in the show’s 140-year history, while the paid staff team is now entirely female.
More than judging livestock
Although each man’s involvement centred on different parts of the show, they all agree the livestock remains at its heart: “The livestock is our shop window,” says David. “The grand parade is what so many people come to see.”
The commercial stands help keep the show financially healthy, Richard says, but it’s the agricultural side which gives it its identity. And more than ever it’s one of the biggest jobs of the show to connect to the public, to help people understand what farming actually involves. “To keep the show afloat, you can’t rely on farming alone now,” he says. “It’s got to be good value for a family day out – but you’ve got to keep the agriculture.”
That connection with the public has become even more important over the years. “It’s our opportunity to show people what farming is really about,” says David.
The best part of the day
Not every favourite memory of the three involved rosettes, however.
“When we were younger,” David grins, “the main attraction was to go to the cake firm’s tent. There was always plenty of beer there, wasn’t there? That’s going back to my father’s day. Then the decent freebies got limited down, tilSymonds and Sampson’s was the main one.”
“Matthews Haulage hung on a bit,” added Richard. “My wife says her dad and his mates enjoyed a few free scotches there. You don’t get that now!”
“It was always a party back then!” agrees David.
“It’s always interesting to see how many cars are left in the car park next morning, and whose cars!” adds Brian.
Looking after the future
For all the warm nostalgia, none of the three want the show frozen in time. David is encouraged by the number of Young Farmers now helping with the sheep section.
“They’re the next generation,” he says. “They’re working together and bringing more young people in. That’s how these things survive.”
Richard agrees that every generation has to adapt, while Brian points to the continuing improvements made around the showground.
For all the changes, however, one thing remains constant. Looking back over decades of involvement, David sums up the feeling shared by everyone around the table.
“Years ago, I looked around and thought that without the show, there’d be a day in the year that was missing. I still think that.”
Brian, Richard and David will all be at the Gillingham & Shaftesbury show again this year, if you spot them do go say hello! The G&S Show this summer is on the 19 & 20 AUGUST 2026 at Turnpike Showground, Motcombe. Tickets until 13th August are £17 adult, £3 children -Grab your Gillingham & Shaftesbury Show tickets today here – https://gillinghamandshaftesburyshow.co.uk/
