As someone who in general steers well clear of such things as county shows, last Friday morning, as I sat in traffic for what seemed like hours and then watched as cars were being towed out of the quagmire that the car park had become, I really wanted to turn back.
However, in my enthusiasm for the Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital, and as a member and governor of the hospital, I had promised to attend. Having battled my way to the stand, and then on touring the site before I left, I found that my opinion swiftly did an about turn.
Food and wine are my particular passions and what a treat it turned out to be to sample some of the West Country's finest; from wild boar sausages to game pies, wine, cheese and excellent puds, all at reasonable prices from local suppliers.
Not quite so pleasing, however, were the prices charged by some vendors who, with a captive audience, marked their prices up accordingly. Despite the inclement weather, those who had braved the elements did not allow the odd shower to dampen their enthusiasm and it was a great day out.
As sad as it has been to see the last day cancelled this year, I shall definitely put it in my calendar for 2015.
More importantly, though, is the impact this will have on, not only the organisers, but also the exhibitors, many of whom rely on shows like this for their business leads; for some it could mean the difference between going under or survival.
Let us hope that lessons have been learned and that, in future, plans will be put in place to deal with incidents such as this.
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