Whilst exhibiting at this year’s Hertfordshire County Show, Tarmac took the opportunity to recognise the hard-working Panshanger Park volunteers who work year-round to help make the park a success.
This special two-day event run by the Hertfordshire Agricultural Society is a celebration of everything in the county, offering something special for all its 35,000+ visitors.
The show still maintains many traditional county show events, such as equine and livestock showing, along with showjumping. As in recent years, Tarmac supported the show by donating Equisand, a specialist silica sand for equine surfaces, for the event.
Tarmac is a regular exhibitor at the show, due to its many landholdings in the Hertfordshire area. This includes Panshanger Park, which is owned and managed by Tarmac, working in partnership with Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust (HMWT) and Hertfordshire County Council.
Back in 2021, plans were put in place for Panshanger Park to be involved in the Queen’s Green Canopy initiative. Planting of the new Queen’s Wood, in honour of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, was completed earlier this year, with 17,341 trees and shrubs in total.
The planting of the woodland would not have been achieved without the hard work and dedication of volunteers, including local schools, residents, businesses and community groups.
Michael Charlton, estates manager at Tarmac, said: “We are so grateful to all the volunteers who helped make the planting of Queen’s Wood a success, along with all our regular volunteers who help us to maintain the park all year round. We felt the Hertfordshire Show was a great place to recognise all their hard work and publicly thank them for their support.”
Visitors to the Tarmac marquee could also take part in a scavenger hunt, drawing competition and facepainting, along with learning more about the company and what its operations bring to Hertfordshire.
Speaking of Tarmac’s long-term involvement with the show, Stuart Wykes, Tarmac’s director of Land & Natural Resources, said: “We take an active involvement in our local communities and it is a pleasure to be involved with this year’s show. We are proud to be a part of events, like the Hertfordshire Show, which are of such significance and enjoyment to local people.”
Sarah Moreland, Executive Director of the Hertfordshire Agricultural Society, said: “We are proud to be celebrating our most successful show ever. The sun shone for two days, and it was truly wonderful to welcome so many people to the event.
“We always get very positive feedback on the quality of our show jumping ring, which is in appreciation to Tarmac’s long-standing support. The ring appears as a grass surface however there is a good underlayer of sand which provides an incredible surface for our showjumpers.
“On behalf of our competitors, audience and the whole Agricultural Society we are truly grateful for Tarmac’s support.”
Run by the Hertfordshire Agricultural Society, the Hertfordshire County Show started as a ploughing match on the grounds of Hatfield House in 1879, becoming a full county show seven years later. Since 1962, it has been held at the showground in Redbourn, but prior to this it was held at various locations across the county. The show is held annually each May, on the Saturday and Sunday of the Spring bank holiday.
