‘I’m absolutely delighted to have it here this year,’ said Lt-Governor Sir Richard Cripwell.
‘I wanted to support the society and also help raise awareness around our Royal Golden Guernsey goats.’
Despite their long-standing presence on the island, the native breed has become rarer in recent years. Sir Richard has become an enthusiastic supporter since the breed was granted royal status by King Charles on his visit to the island in 2024.
‘They have a beautiful appearance, but importantly they’re an indigenous breed to the island and they’re endangered,’ he said. ‘So I want to help support the efforts to protect them. They’re ours and we should care for them.’
A key part of those efforts lie in raising awareness of the breed across Guernsey, something this year’s show wholeheartedly hoped to do.
Laura Wilson came down to the show for the first time this year with her family and a visiting family friend.
The initial draw had been a friend who was due to be showing her herd later in the day. But the Royal Golden Guernsey goats ended up leaving a lasting impression too.
‘It’s been really lovely to see some native goats, especially for our visiting friend. It’s great to be able to show him something that’s unique to the island.’
Organisers were delighted to see that crowd numbers looked to be potentially record-breaking.
‘There seems to be a lot more people,’ said Charlotte Burgoine from Les Jonquilles Goats, who has served on the Guernsey Goat Society’s committee for the past years and been attending the show since 2014. ‘It’s fantastic. It will really help with raising awareness around the goats and all the conservation efforts going on.’
‘I think the venue has helped a lot,’ added her sister, Charis Burgoine. ‘Having the show here has boosted it majorly. More people seem to know about it, and it also means we have far more parking and can have the stalls for the first time, so there’s just far more for people to do.’
For the Lt-Governor too, the bustling crowds were a happy sight. He was keen for attendees to leave with both a fondness for the local goat and a full understanding of just how beneficial the breed can be for the islands.
‘It is a truly very special animal. It’s not just about protecting an indigenous species. The breed has so much to offer,’ he said.
Those offerings extend to the quality of its milk and also the broader environmental efforts it can assist with, a quality that was on full display at La Societe Guernesiaise’s stall, where its new conservation herd was being displayed.
‘Goats are the powerhouse of knocking back shrubs,’ said herd manager Will Harford-Fox.
‘The goats churn up the soil with their hooves and chew the vegetation down, but they don’t cut everything back evenly to the same level like a mower, and that variation helps leave lots of little niches available to different species.’
‘Also, their droppings are great for invertebrates, which are a key food source for lots of other animals, and we’re working with Fire and Rescue to identify where we can help with fire breaks to boost the island’s resilience to wildfires too.’
The public are encouraged to get involved in supporting the breed’s recovery and can volunteer to help by getting in touch with the National Trust or La Societe – or even emailing Government House.
‘We’d be more than happy to help,’ added the Lt-Governor.
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