ORGANISERS of the Three Counties Countryside Show are confident next week's event will mark a recovery from the foot and mouth crisis.

The show was cancelled during the nationwide outbreak in 2001 and last year, when livestock was banned from being transported to the event, crowd numbers were the lowest for 20 years.

Now the Three Counties Agricultural Society is hopeful that, with the return of livestock, the show is back on track.

"This year we've really got everything back to how it was before foot and mouth," said society spokesperson Sharon Gilbert.

"Last year, we had an attendance of 88,000 without the livestock and that was higher than we expected."

Since livestock last appeared, the show has been given a new title - "agricultural" was dropped in 2001 and replaced by "countryside" - and the society is hoping the increased participation of rural activities will boost turnout.

Mrs Gilbert said: "With all the other bits and pieces we introduced in the last couple of years, like the expanded countryside area, I think this year the show's popularity will continue.

"We've tried to get everything to do with the countryside into the show and we're keeping it because it's proved so successful."

Star attractions at this year's event, which runs from Friday to Sunday, June 13 to 15, include a horse stunt team, sheepdog handling demonstrations by One Man and His Dog presenter Gus Dermody and a dog display team.

Along with the agricultural competitions, a grand parade of animals will be held in the main arena each day. A first for the show, the Rare Breeds Survival Trust, will hold a competition featuring rare breeds of cattle, sheep and pigs.

There will also be strongman competition, poultry show, flower show and shearing competitions.

A dedicated countryside area will include gundogs, fishing, falconry, ferrets etc, while in the cookery theatre Lesley Waters, star of TV's Ready, Steady Cook, will be revealing the secrets of the trade to budding chefs.

Tickets for the Three Counties Countryside Show are available on the day and cost between £11.50 and £5.50. Society members get in free.