"Bicester and Finmere show will celebrate its golden anniversary this year and organisers are hoping an A-list celebrity will help mark the big day on Saturday August 1st. The name of the celebrity is under wraps until he or she has confirmed, but organisers say they are very excited.
The show, which continues to grow, was able to donate £10,000 to our supported charities, The Back Up Trust and Spinal Research and provided two excellent days of entertainment and excitement. This brought up our index linked total donation to charity over the years to approx. £560,000.
The Chairman is Derek Ricketts, who is the World Class Performance Team Manager for show jumping and so hosts one of the countries top-ranking horse shows. As well as top class show jumping, there will be a large art and craft tent, vintage tractors, a three ringed dog show with flyball and "have-a-go" dog agility, tradestands, public bar and a host of other events and attractions.
To mark the 50th show, the organizers are holding a "gala charity ball" in the evening, hosted and sponsored by Roots Food Halls. The company started last year in Hardwick offering the traditional village shop selling fresh produce from local sources as well as a wide range of delicatessen and household goods. Recently they opened their second outlet at Wyevale Garden Centre, Bicester Avenue, which has become an instant success. Tickets are now on sale, with full details www.bicesterandfinmereshow.co.uk. This promises to be an evening to remember, with an all inclusive ticket price, to include a gourmet meal, drinks, canapés, entertainment and live music into the small hours.
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The show will this year have more variety with a new Art and Craft marquee and food hall. Ferret racing, vintage cars and tractors and the entertaining "jump and run" competition, which proved to be such a spectacle last year! Perhaps the most unique competition in the country is the Celebrity Jockey's High Jump. This is supported by all the famous names from National Hunt and Flat racing and has been won in the past by Richard Dunwoody, Richard Johnson and Carl Llewellyn to name just a few. The show was started in 1960 by a group of people to raise funds for a local 17year old girl who had been paralysed in a point-to-point fall, hence the show has always held on to it's links with the racing world.
In order to attract a record amount of people and bearing in mind the current economic climate, organizers have reduced the admission fee to just £5 per adult and children go free. The day is always a great day out with a VIP lunch marquee, public bar, funfair and so much more".
Strange Feelings by Ella.
(12yr old tetraplegic)
I can feel my legs
but in a differesnt way.
I don’t know how to tell you, its hard to say.
They’re in a pool, a warm one too
someone’s pushing them together
but I don’t know who.
when I touch my legs
they’re not there
it’s like I ’ve got a second pair.
I know where my legs are
my toes and my feet
but when I try to move them
they’re fast asleep.
I touch my skin
to me it’s not real.
I can touch
but I can’t feel |
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With over £18,000 of prize money to compete for this year, Bicester and Finmere Show hopes to attract an audience of over 3000. and is proud to be associated with so many loyal sponsors, without whom it would be impossible to stage such an event.
The Area Trial, supported by local company, Fresh Direct, will attract most of the country’s leading show jumping riders. This is one of the largest competitions in the country and is considered to be the most prestigious National class.
As usual the Celebrity Jockey’s High Jump is a feature spectacle, offering the chance to see Jockey’s from the world of National Hunt and flat racing taking part in this unique event. Show record is 5’ 10”!
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This year’s Oxfordshire Team jumping has been opened up to any team of 4 riders from a school, riding school, livery yard or any other group which promises to provide a truly enjoyable day. Last year’s winners were appreciative of the generous prizes in kind. They also thoroughly enjoyed the advice they were given by one of this country’s leading riders, on how to ride their course which is planned again.
Our dog is growing from strength to strength and this year will provide competitions for everyone, including a flyball demonstration and “have-a-go” dog agility, which will add even more excitement and fun for all the family.
Started in 1960 initially to raise funds for Sally Haynes , a local 17yr old girl paralysed in a Point-to-Point fall, the show has never missed a year. In this time we are proud to have donated in the region of £350,000 to our two charities. The original use of these funds was to set up and support a charity which organised sporting events for the recently paralysed. It gave them an enormous strength to once again have a reason to remain upbeat and enthusiastic for life. Most sports were catered for and the association was known as the E.P.S.A. (English Paraplegic Sports Association). Over the recent years this initiative has developed into what is now known as the Para Olympics.
The “history” link makes very interesting reading and endorses the fact that our show is a unique event in the show calendar.
Last update 11th June 2009 |
