Thousands attend Stithians Show despite severe weather warning

There may have been weather warnings, but Cornwall's biggest one-day agricultural show must go on. Kitted up in waterproofs and wellies, thousands attended Stithians Show today (Monday, July 15) despite a severe weather warning for heavy rain issued by the Met Office for the South West.

Stithians Show has been running since 1834, held each year in the showground on the outskirts of the village. Thankfully, the venue has excellent drainage across the fields, and was able to cope well with the intermittent downpours.

With upwards of 15,000 people expected throughout the day, the weather did not seem to put off visitors and exhibitors. As always, there were the finest cattle, sheep, goats and pigeons being judged, as well as showjumping, music, and hundreds of stalls.

New for this year was the Pig Section, making a return to Stithians Show for the first time since 1880. However, whilst the pigs were happy to be back in the mud, glorious mud, missing from the show this year was the poultry section, which could not go ahead due to current Avian Flu regulations.

Issuing the yellow alert warning, the Met Office said: "Outbreaks of rain, some heavy and thundery, will spread steadily north across the area during Monday. Some torrential downpours are likely in places with 15 to 20 mm falling in less than an hour and as much as 30 to 40 mm in three hours.

"This is likely to lead to localised flooding, slower travel times and a small chance that homes and businesses could be flooded. Some of the heavy rain may be accompanied by lightning bringing a further hazard. The heavy rain will slowly ease after dark."

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In the end, the rain at the show did not seem quite so torrential, with the day brightening up as the afternoon went on. And as five-year-old Elowen would attest, eating an ice cream in the rain whilst wearing an umbrella hat, there is no such thing as bad weather, just the wrong clothing.

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