The Royal Bath and West Show 2008

There’s so much more thank you think at the Royal Bath & West Show and this year we have even more to ensure every member of the family has a superb day out!

The famous stunt carriage driving display team Chariots of Fire are this year’s Main Ring star attraction. Driving a team of horses their breathtaking stunts with fire thrill spectators! Willing volunteers from the audience can also participate in one of their stunts.

Brand new at this year’s Show the Royal Bath & West is extremely excited to be holding a fashion show! In support of the Prince's Trust and hosted by Clarks Village, 20 brands will be showing off their latest collections in style, to inspire both sexes. Brands involved include ECCO shoes, Joules clothing, Autonomy, NEXT, Lee Cooper, Wrangler, GAP, Van Heusen, CK, Savoy Taylors Guild, Jeff Banks, Marks & Spencer, Windsmoor and Oneida. The Fashion shows will happen 3 times a day with FREE professional make-overs in between courtesy of The Body Shop and Crabtree & Evelyn.

Supporting the Fashion Show, the Royal Bath & West is delighted to welcome fashion icon Jeff Banks who is joining the Show on Thursday 29th May only! Jeff will also be judging the brand new best dressed couple competition which is taking place on the first day of the Show. The winning couple will be chauffeured to Ston Easton Park Hotel and given dinner, bed and breakfast!

Additionally the Show is thrilled to welcome BBC TV's Homes Under the Hammer star, Martin Roberts on all four days of the show! Martin is a strong supporter of The Prince's Trust and the Bath & West Show and is delighted to be involved with the Show this year. Martin is giving away the opportunity for 6 individuals to win the chance of spending a full days filming with him! The star will also be selling signed copies of his new book: "teach yourself: Making Money From Property.

For the Star Wars fans out there - don't miss this rare opportunity to meet Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca). This is only his 3rd appearance in the UK in 10 years so it’s a chance not to be missed! Peter will be at the show only on the 28th and 29th and will be signing autographs!

DockDogs - A brand new sport to the UK, in which any owner with a dog can participate! The dog that jumps the furthest and highest and retrieves the decoy the quickest wins! All breeds welcome so make sure you bring your canine friend and join in!

4x4 course - Xtreme Off-road has built a brand new 4x4 course on the Showground to get the adrenaline pumping. Don't miss out on having a go at this Xtreme Off-road Adventure – with see-saws, boulders, rocks, logs, bridges, ravines, terrifying gradients and tightly twisting woodland trails – this is your chance to experience the true capabilities of a 4x4 in safe hands. Book your slot with them when you arrive at the Show or book in advance!

The SolaRola Adventure – On Wednesday May 21st The High Sheriff of Somerset, Annie Maw will travel with a fleet of solar powered vehicles from Victoria Tower Gardens near the Houses of Parliament arriving on the 28th May at the Royal Bath and West Show, a total distance of 120 miles. The objective of the SolaRola Adventure is to encourage debate into the subject of sustainable energy sources, carbon emissions and the current problems of climate change. Together this diverse group of people will demonstrate that even those with physical limitations can make a significant contribution to the preservation of our environment.' The enterprise is entirely dependent on voluntary contribution and effort.

Each vehicle will be powered by Solar Power and largely driven by disabled drivers. On the way fundraising events will be held and collections made in support of six main charities: The Calvert Trust on Exmoor, Riding for the Disabled, Injured Jockeys, The Southern Spinal Injuries Trust, Help for Heroes and related Armed Forces Charities, and the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance. Once at the Bath and West Show the vehicles will join the Eco Zone and parade daily during the Show.

Showjumping - A major part of the Show there are qualifying classes for Horse of the Year Show and

Livestock – those with a passion and love of livestock will be able to watch some of the regions finest breeds being shown throughout the Show. There are new classes for Dairy Youngstock on Wednesday of show and two new classes for Beef Cattle - British Blue and Beef Shorthorn . New pig classes for Kune Kune pigs on the Saturday!

Alpacas – For the last few years the Alpaca entries have grown rapidly along with their popularity with the public. This year the show has decided to have Alpaca classes on all four days of the show and has also given them new premises.

Food Halls: The Show is very proud of their Food Halls which are becoming bigger and better every year. This year the superb variety of Food Stands include several new exhibitors including So Sho Asia (Sushi), Isle of Man Creameries who are organising a group of stands from the Isle of Man, Jarvis of St James, Agnes Spencer and Caribbean food sourced locally.

Countryside Arena –demonstration of skills of the countryman. ferret racing, falconry, display of hounds, terrier racing, gun dog display.

Farming for the Family – A plethora of experiences can be found here this year including watching Sows being scanned – a must for children to see the tiny piglets inside their mother, a simulated demonstration of lambing, a live Red Devon steer marked up as cuts of meat, your chance to drive a remote controlled tractor and don’t miss the NFU Road Show with Johnny Ball!

Woodland and Wildlife: Once again the UK Wolf Conservation Trust will be at the Show with their wolves. There will be a wonderful medley of demonstrations to watch including thatching, sawmilling, dry stone walling, bushcraft & survival, owls and hawks, heavy horse displays and horse tushing, coppicing, walking stick makers, basket making, and wood turning. There is also the ever popular Woodland Activity Trail for children to experience a fascinating range of countryside activities.

Canoeing & Miniature Railway - Don’t miss out on canoeing on the beautiful lake – last year 1000 children a day went out on the lake and had a fabulous time, so make sure you join in the experience this year. Whilst you’re in that part of the Showground take a ride on the Bath & West Railway. Its half mile picturesque route takes it over and along the Prestleigh Brook and then around the delightful lake including a brand new bridge over the water cascade at its southern end.

Family Trail – The ever popular family trail sponsored by Wales & West Utilities is running again with an extra two stops on it. If you have children between the ages of 5 - 14 make sure you join in the fun and educational Family Trail. It will lead you around the Show ensuring you see a huge range of brilliant areas and ensure you and your children don't miss out on any excitement.

Dog Show - The West's leading canine event organized by Taunton Canine Association and sponsored by James Wellbeloved is the first Open Dog Show in Somerset to have gained Premier Status where some Best of Breed winners will qualify for CRUFTS Dog Show for 2009. Come along and watch the competitive classes; this canine extravaganza offers everything for dog lovers and is the perfect setting to see your favourite breed of dog being judged from around 1,500 exhibits. Wednesday 28th May Gundogs & Utility Breeds, Thursday 29th May Hound, Toy & Terrier Breeds, Friday 30th May Working & Pastoral Breeds, Bath & West Stakes classes each day. Fans of the agility classes will be thrilled with the speed and pace of the dogs who race against the clock. Frome Dog Training Club will be performing on the final day Saturday 31st May, not to be missed

Eco-Zone – The increasingly popular Eco-Zone this year sponsored by Npower, has been re-sighted this year to nearer the centre of the show as the Show believes this is a subject which is not only becoming of enormous importance but much more interesting and has made huge efforts to ensure it is an interactive and inspiring part of the Show. Come and try your hand at the reaction challenge on the Npower Bat-Axe Machine and blend your own Smoothie on the Yeo Valley blender vendor bike. The sustainable transport class which was a brand new feature of the show last year returns again with entries of over 30 unique and fascinating vehicles.

Village Green activities – This is a great place to take the weight of your feet for a short while and relax whilst listening to the fine variety of bands including Yeovil Town Band, Royal Castle Jazz Band and the Kingswood Town Band which is a youth band from Bristol. On Saturday the Gang Show from Taunton return with two hour long performances of the very popular show.

Other areas of the show that mustn’t be missed - Orchards & Cider, sheep shearing, the wurzles, heavy horses, scurry-driving, inter-hunt relay, goats, poultry, rabbits, cavies, guinea pigs, mice, bees & honey, steam engines, falconry and classic cars, the country's very finest food and drink including a huge cheese pavilion, a fantastic variety of tradestands including lots of rural crafts, a superb floral marquee where you can buy plants and get ideas and advice, the beautiful and inspiring Art Show.

Fun at the Fair by enjoying a multitude of rides including the Helter Skelter, Big Wheel Juvenile Boats, Coconut Shy, Juvenile roundabout and fair ground games.