Country fair sees some traders leave early

Some traders at The Great British Farm-Fest say they chose to pack up and leave early after failing to make back their costs.

The event, which was held at Stoneleigh Park in Warwickshire from Friday to Sunday, featured 400 stalls and 12 arenas, and was said to have attracted more than 50,000 people.

One stallholder said she had had the worst day's trading ever while many others spoke more positively and said organisers had "smashed it out the park".

A spokesperson for The Great British Farm-Fest said they had worked closely with traders and they were surprised a "handful of exhibitors" left the show early.

Former Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson was among TV and radio presenters who appeared at the show, which featured hundreds of animals, as well as bands and DJs in the evenings.

About 20,000 people attended on Saturday alone, festival director Chris Hughes said previously.

Korrinne Pallas, who owns Phoenix Equestrian and Pet Supplies, was one of the traders who left the event early and said Friday was the "worst day's trading we have ever had".

In an video posted on Instagram, Pallas said with wages, fuel and van hire, it was £400 to return and she had not made that during her stay.

Jacket potato seller, Ben Newman, also known as Spudman, said some caterers "really struggled" on Friday but he later saw improvement.

In an video posted on Instagram on Sunday, Newman, from Tamworth, Staffordshire, said FarmFest had "absolutely smashed it out the park".

"They were a bit slow to come in and we were a little bit worried at first, but when it got started, they were queued up and we had a really good day," he said.

Small dog brand, Pops and Coco UK, said on TikTok claimed some traders and dog traders in particular, had gone home in a video posted on Sunday.

"I would probably say 90% of traders across the whole showground, whatever they're selling, have either made a loss and they haven't made their costs back or they are only just making some money now," its co-founder, Emma, said.

Another small business, BayCo Designs, also posted a video to Instagram saying they were "devastated" after the event and it had relied on organisers for advertising the event and clear signage.

In a statement, organisers said: "We have been working closely with traders at The Great British Farm-Fest to provide support during our inaugural weekend.

"We are surprised that a handful of exhibitors, out of the 400 who attended, left the show within a few hours of the first day without experiencing an event that has attracted over 50,000 visitors."

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