This year is an incredible year for the Border Union Agricultural Show as it marks 200 years since the organisation was formed under the chairmanship of my ancestor, James, 5th Duke of Roxburghe.
Our aim for this year was not only to celebrate our rich history as an organisation, but also to demonstrate the important role that agriculture still plays in our region today and to establish some legacy projects for the future.
We have already held the Borders’ first ever Children’s Countryside Day, when we welcomed moe than 1,300 children to the showground for a unique insight into the countryside and agriculture.
We are now preparing to announce the winner of the inaugural Bicentenary Border Union Roux Apprentice Award, established to provide a Borders College student with a unique start to their catering career.
We are also honoured that HRH The Countess of Wessex agreed to be our patron for the year.
Having already welcomed HRH to the Borders in January, we are looking forward to seeing the Countess again at the Border Union Show on both July 26th and 27th. This year’s Borders Union Show marks the culmination of our celebrations and includes a host of special attractions.
My hope is that more people than ever before will choose to attend and will help us to mark this milestone in the history of our organisation.