ALTHOUGH there are no livestock competitions at this year's Three Counties Countryside Show, 23 breed societies are demonstrating their support for both the event and the rural community by staging promotional displays.

Livestock breeders from a wide area responded to an invitation from show organisers to have a presence and will be out in force at the show from Friday, June 14 to Sunday, June 16.

The society has given individual grants of £100 for all those taking a stand and prize monies will be awarded to the best three promotional displays in each breed category.

Among the breed groups attending are Gloucester Cattle Society, Hereford Cattle Society, Gloucestershire Support Group of the Rare Breeds Survival Trust, British Goat Society, British Pig Association and Midland Lleyn Sheep Breeders Group.

Show manager Doreen Smillie said: "It is our aim to retain the event's traditional farming and countryside focus, so a positive response from so many breed societies is extremely heartening. We are fortunate to be able to include a partial livestock presence, with easily managed displays of cattle taken from single holdings. We are also including lamb carcass judging and sheep shearing demonstrations as part of the agricultural programme."

The show will feature honey, poultry, Young Farmers and the WI, the Gloucestershire Food and Drink Marquee. A full programme of equestrian competitions has attracted 1,600 entries, and a greatly enhanced countryside area will be in "Game Fair" style, dedicated to the management of Britain's greatest natural asset. Each day there will be two seminars, The Countryside Jigsaw, where top experts will attempt to unravel the complexities of the modern countryside and lead discussions on the future of rural life.