Refund offer over cancelled show

Heavy rain turned the ground into a quagmire

People who bought tickets for the final day of a Cumbrian Show, called off due to heavy rain, are being offered a refund or a ticket for next year.

Sunday was the first time in the 35-year history of the Lowther Horse Driving Trails and Country Fair that there had been a cancellation.

Organisers said that tickets must be returned with a stamped addressed envelope by 15 September.

A covering letter should state whether a refund or a replacement is required.

Up to 20,000 visitors had been expected to arrive at the site at Askham, near Penrith on Sunday but heavy rainfall turned the ground into a quagmire.

Financial consequences

The Met Office said 20 mm of rain fell in the Penrith area on Saturday night, the equivalent of a fifth of the monthly average for the whole of August.

Robert Benson, Lowther Show chairman, said that cancellation was the right decision.

"It would have been impossible to get the public on to the car park safely, let alone off it due to the exceptionally heavy rain.

"Lowther is a charitable event and obviously the cancellation of a day will have severe financial consequences but we have built up a war chest over the years and next year's show will go ahead on 7 August."

He added: "I would like to pay tribute to the immense hard work put in by those working for Lowther Driving Trials, the tractor crews and the many volunteers who enabled the show to go ahead for two days in very difficult conditions given the exceptionally heavy rain on the days before."