Gavin Williamson, MP for South Staffordshire, opened the Perton Show on Saturday which took place in and around the village of Perton.
The Show, which was last held in 2000, and has made a comeback in the same year the village has been honouring Perton’s 40th birthday. To commemorate the 40th anniversary a ‘Walk of Thanks’ took place, taking in different parts of the village giving visitors and residents the opportunity to learn more about the area. In addition to the walk there was a History and Heritage exhibition that took place in Perton Library, promoting the town's interesting past.
The Show boasted a variety of activities for all ages including a dog show, an array of stalls selling various homemade items and a guess the weight of the marrow competition. The section of the show taking place in the Civic Centre had 84 different classes with over 400 entries across a variety of areas including crafts, cookery, art, writing, photography and film, flower arranging and horticulture, together with 29 categories for specifically for younger residents. Lord Wrottesley presented trophies to the winners of categories including 10 new trophies that were introduced this year.
Member of the organising committee Parish Councillor Phil Davis commented: “The show went really well and we achieved our objective of unwrapping the undisclosed talents and skills in Perton. The good news is that we always intended to stage the show for at least 3 years. Several of our local shows have been lost due to financial constraints by local authorities.”
Councillor Davis is also urging people who want to get involved next year to get in touch. “The local people who helped as judges and stewards all said they learned a lot and would love to come back and help again. Planning has indeed started for next year and the centre is booked for September 16th.”
In addition Gavin commented: “I am thrilled that the Perton Show has made a fantastic comeback in the same year that Perton has been hosting some truly wonderful 40th anniversary celebrations.
“It was an absolutely brilliant and busy day with some incredibly ingenious entries in all classes of competitions. A huge thank you must go to each one of the organising committee who brought back this wonderful day and tied it in so exceptionally to the anniversary celebrations. I very much hope that the show returns next year so we can once again celebrate all wonderful things Perton.”