For some stallholders this is their first show and there are many ways in which a helping hand is appreciated, from positioning tables and setting up displays to providing general information and guidance. The last of the fencing needs to be erected to funnel the public past the programme sellers – although some people still go to extraordinary lengths to avoid parting with a pound, despite it being free entry and the blacksmith is looking for a power supply. To leave one task to fetch something necessary for the job is to risk being pounced upon to get involved in a separate ‘emergency’.
09:30 Helping to put the Downlands Trust stand together. This year we are collecting money for our Big Tree Plant project, where we aim to plant 2,000 trees in local communities where the wildlife and local residents and workers will greatly benefit from them. The display board, explaining who we are and what we do, needs setting up with a variety of posters aimed at encouraging people to support this worthy cause.
10:00 I think that we are ready. Everything seems to be where it should be, but there’s always time to give someone else a helping hand – a display to rearrange, a stake to bang in, leaflets to find, a table to steady, mostly minor things but attention to detail is important.
10:30 Before we know it the first members of the public, probably unaware of the effort that has gone into preparing for the day, are making their way towards the entrance. On the surface everything is going smoothly, although underneath staff and volunteers are fully employed, ensuring that minor problems are resolved. The sun is still shinning and the day is warming up, everyone appears calm and relaxed and in control. There is a general feeling that this is going to be a really good show.
12:00 Cars continue to arrive in a steady organised flow and the stream of people coming in has not ceased since the show opened. Meanwhile, inside the arena, Farmer Mark and his sheep dog are herding a flock of geese.
16:00 The raffle is being called – have we beaten our collection of £800 from last year’s show?
16:15 Farmer Mark and his geese return to round the events off in the arena, entertaining the large crowd that still remains.
16:30 And before we know it the show has come to its official end, although the stalls – those that haven’t sold out – are still doing good business.
17:00 Only the stragglers remain. Gazebos, displays and stands are being dismantled and packed away in a reverse of the morning’s activity. The arena is dismantled, the tables and chairs rounded up, and anything that could be a hazard is moved out of the way, but with the gloom of evening descending the bulk of the clearing up can wait for tomorrow.
17:30 One of the highlights of the day, the pizza delivery man’s car bouncing across the field towards us, proving that, if you order enough pizzas, they will deliver to the middle of a field. After the effort that went in to the preparation it is hard to believe that it is all over. It is a time of mixed feelings. There is the satisfaction of having been a part of another successful event, with an initial estimate of in excess of 7,000 visitors visiting 100 different stalls and attractions. There is also the feeling of it having been a great team effort, something that comes across in the banter. There is also a deal of relief that life can return to normal.
18:00 Apart from staff and volunteers the field has largely been deserted. Everyone is tired, especially those members of staff who had camped overnight and have already put in a twelve hour day.
19:00 Most of the immediate work clearing up has been done; the light is fading and it’s time to head for home.