Sunday, July 19, 2009

Is the Nairn Show too expensive?

Nairn Quine wants to have a wee Gurn about the Nairn Show:
'Just having a 'gurn' about the Nairn Show this year. Was going to comment on the 'What's On' but didn't see the Show, a highlight in Nairn's calendar year, mentioned there.
£10 admission plus £5 for parking? C'mon - are they having a laugh? So they are depending on punters like you and me to make up their money for them - half of us who probably don't know one end of a cow from the other or how much milk it produces per day!! And they complained that they made a loss last year.
Em, where did all the parking fees go to at Auldearn when they didn't have that facility to offer at Nairn? They made a big thing of it by the photo in the Nairnshire last year. And after a quick look at the programme, I couldn't see a 'highlight' to the afternoon's events. No motor bike stunt team, freefall parachutes (boring anyway), dodgy cars, etc.
So what does Joe Bloggs get for his tenner? A chance to walk round a hopefully dry, if not muddy, field to view coos and sheep, and perhaps buy overpriced food and knick knacks.
I, for one, and I am sure there will be many others like me when they discover the entrance fee, will certainly be giving it a miss this year.
Yours etc
Nairn Quine'
Thanks for that Nairn Quine. Is a tenner a lot of money Gurnites? Maybe we all look back to our halcycon days when we think of value for money. I remember when a ten shilling note was all you needed for an amazing night on the ran dan but times have moved on. A tenner is still a tenner I suppose if you are short of cash but then a sandwich and a cup of coffee up the High Street might take the best part of a fiver these days and a day out at the like of Alton Towers might cost a family anything up to £400 it seems (product of conversation via copper with Iright this morning). So I suppose you either go or you don't, if you know one end of a cow from another or not. The Gurnmeister had to miss out because of work last year and was actually quite miffed about that - the new site for the show offers a far better photographic canvas with the Black Isle and the massive of Ben Wyvis in the background.
In these troubled times it is no easy choice for many Nairn families when it comes to what to spend a valuable tenner on but if indeed you have that amount of currency burning a hole in your pocket then perhaps it is indeed worth the effort - after all the organisation is the 'Nairnshire' Farming Society and with that name tradition and local identity live on!

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yes its to expensive.
If it was cheaper they would get more foot fall so in return make more money!
Common sense.
I would love to go to the farmers show but refure to pay that amount.
N

growtosow said...

yes it is expensive if you look at some of the other shows you do not get much for your money. and as for the folk that exhibit at the show myself being one of them i feel it is a bit much yes you get in for half price but still not right. this does not encourage folk to enter their produce. we should be encouraging folk to put their produce in to the show. i have heard a few comments along these lines. i have to say we put our stuff in but did not go to the show. i think they should look at this. folk do look at the tents to see what has been put in.

Anonymous said...

far too expensive for a show that lacked content and was badly organised - will not attend next year. Have organised events myself so know just how hard it is, but if you can't do better then don't bother!

Graisg said...

Yes it is easy to knock something someone else has organised. The Nairnshire Farming Society have been going for a long time and many generations have put in many long hours into organising the show. Along the way there will no doubt have been many ups and downs and anon is most certainly not the first person to come away disastisfied with his/her money's worth.
There have been a couple of gurns here and over on mynairn.com but are the gurners just a small minority?
Let's wait and see what the report in the Nairnshire says and good luck to the Nairn show for all future events, we'd all miss it if it wasn't there, even if we never go and a large part of Nairnshire tradition and identity would have gone down the pan. Like it or loathe it the Nairn Show is part of the fabric of our community!

hillrun said...

Yes too expensive for what there is to see. Id also like to point out as an exhibitor at the show the entry fee per animal has gone up and the prize list has been cut!
The sheep entry fee is the same as the cattle but the prize money certainly isnt! Is that fair?
Im afraid to say I will be thinking twice about showing animals there again. Have to say some of the stewards at this show let us exhibitors down too.