What a show!
The 9th Newark Vintage Tractor & Heritage Show maintained its tradition of breaking records and growing in popularity year-on-year. Members of the public were queuing well before opening time on both days of the show; pre-paid tickets holders were fast-tracked through as others waited to pay at the gate with good humour. The 2011 show saw record entries in the Brown & Co. Vintage Auction (Saturday) and the largest number of trade stands – over 120 selling a variety of merchandise from tractor parts and combat clothing to farm produce and a canine ‘bark-ery’ – since the show started in 2003. The annual Vintage Auction attracted a great deal of interest with over 1,000 buyers and had spectators lining up on the Main Ring viewing bank to watch proceedings. Top lot of the day was a Ford 7600 that went for £5,400 with a Ford 9N in need of cosmetic attention fetching £1,400 and a Massey Ferguson which sold post sale for £5,000. Auctioneer Ken Pritchard, of Brown & Co who ran the auction, commented: "With more than 500 lots on offer there was no lack of enthusiasm from the buyers. We were delighted with the quality and quantity of the vintage tractors and machinery entered into the sale. There were over 45 tractors on offer and we hope to double this figure next year." Exhibitor entries too reached a new high, in excess of 940, from the John Deere and Lanz feature tractors to models and static engine displays. Among the 40 trophy winners was 17 year-old Matthew Bisp who took home two – The Patrick Edwards Ltd Trophy for the ‘Best tractor restored by a person under 25’ (1980 Ford 1200) and his 1963 International Harvester Cub Cadet won the award for ‘Best non-Vintage Horticultural & Garden Machinery Member’s Exhibit’. Matthew, an electronics student at Bourneville College who lives at Rubury, Worcestershire, spent 18 months restoring the Ford that had been in a fairly dilapidated state when he bought it. This was his third visit to Newark. 10 year-old Thomas French Jnr Jnr retained the Friends of Ferguson Heritage award for the ‘Best Massey Ferguson’. Thomas, from Ayrshire, was exhibiting a 1971 Massey Ferguson 135 Mk III Narrow. The Old Glory Magazine Trophy for the ‘Oldest vintage tractor’ went to Malcolm Robinson from Lincolnshire for his 1916 Overtime R Single Speed while the ‘Best Nominated exhibit’ was presented to Thomas’s grandfather, Thomas French’s 1968 Massey Ferguson 165. The vehicle was nominated by Friends of Ferguson Heritage (Scotland). Wayne Davey of Perkins Engines in Peterborough presented a new trophy for the ‘Most original Perkins engine tractor’; this went to Patrick Pawsey of Suffolk for his 1950 Fordson Major E27 N P6 that was built in Dagenham and then exported to Australia before being repatriated and restored. Organisers of the show were so impressed with the Blue Force stand that they presented a new ‘Best Overall Stand’ award to the club, created for tractor enthusiasts earlier this year. It already has over 600 members. The show’s link with Remembrance Sunday (13 November) was further strengthened with military vehicles and radio equipment displays. There was standing room only at the annual Remembrance Service, led by Canon Ed Pruen from Southwall Minster with regular bugler John Baigent, which was held amongst an array of tractors in the George Stephenson Exhibition Hall. Now in its fourth year, the Native & Rare Breeds Exhibition hosted the inaugural East Anglia and Midlands Hereford Breeders Association Calf Show. Adrian Johnston, Chief Executive of the Newark & Nottinghamshire Agricultural Society, summed up this year’s show: "Once again, we have been delighted by the response to the show and most grateful to exhibitors who have travelled from all corners of the country to take part – particularly in these austere economic times. Our congratulations go to all the prize winners and a big ‘thank you’ to all our sponsors and supporters. "The Calf Show was a very successful initiative and we look forward to working with the organisers in the future. As with any show of this nature, we could not operate without our army of volunteers and to them we are most grateful." The 2012 Newark Vintage Tractor & Heritage Show takes place on 10 and 11 November when Perkins Derivatives will be the Feature Tractors. ENDS Full results attached; images available on request For further information contact Sally Hughes, Show & Event Manager Newark & Nottinghamshire Agricultural Society Tel: 01636 705796 or email:
Press release issued by Kingswood Associates
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This article was added on 22-11-2011
