All South Show events to take place indoors

Hosted at the Professor Shaw Community Centre in St Martin’s, there are normally some events in a field across the entrance road.

Committee president Mike Weysom said the lack of this would not affect the atmosphere.

‘The outside events have been moved inside, so whoever comes for the field events will not be disappointed,’ he said.

With uncertainty still surrounding the pandemic, Mr Weysom said the show committee wanted to make sure that the hall was not over-crowded and to ensure that it was a safe environment for visitors. But people’s contact details will not be taken.

‘And we can use the field for overflow parking.’

Volunteers remain the lifeblood of the event and Mr Weysom wanted to thank everyone who was offering their time.

‘Luckily, in the South, we have a lot of volunteers that are willing to help out every year.’

Last year’s event had to be

cancelled because the social distancing guidelines would have made it very difficult and there were fears at the time over large gatherings.

With the show back this year, organisers were keen to have as many people involved as possible, through visiting, participating and volunteering.

‘We have to have volunteers from the very start and we’ll never turn away extra help.’

The committee said it was nearly ready to open the doors to the public, confident of an exciting return.

The event will include some new categories to showcase the natural environment and promote biodiversity.

They will include the island wildflower and wildlife garden competition, which aims to encourage local gardens as natural habitats and understanding of the issues.

It follows positive feedback from the island garden competition, with many gardeners keen to get involved.

n The show is on 13 and 14 August.