MEMBERS of Moreton Show Society are being warned next week that finding ways of cutting costs is a principal and urgent task.

Last year's September show in fine weather attracted a record crowd of 22,000 but a report by secretary Tim Gardner to the annual meeting next Wednesday shows that it was an expensive show to stage and the operating surplus fell to £9,629 from the previous year's £16,740.

"There is a plethora of detail to be addressed in the coming months," he says in his notes with the report and statement of accounts, "but one of the principal and most urgent tasks is finding ways of cutting costs, or at least of limiting the increases."

He points out: "The difficulty is doing it without adversely affecting the essence of the show and thus upsetting exhibitors and visitors. In some cases it may not be possible to reduce costs but it should be possible to generate more income and this will follow."

The accounts show a total income of £238,773 (£216,708 the previous year) and expenditure of £222,693 (£194,840).

Mr Gardner says changes to the layout of the Batsford Road showground seem to have worked with a far more even distribution of visitors across the ground. In particular the area inside gates one and two had improved significantly following the realignment of the attractions ring. Conversely, the area within and around the food marquee was congested and something would have to be done to relieve it soon, he said.

The highest entry of Poll Herefords since 1986 led the way in livestock, but was complemented by more than 1,000 showing horse entries, a record. Dairy cattle were not doing nearly as well as beef.

The farms and crops prizegiving follows the annual meeting as will the Strutt and Parker diversification prizegiving and a presentation and report by Gloucestershire Federation of Young Farmers' Clubs.