The North of England Koi Show 2024

The North England Koi Show took place this weekend and yet again demonstrated how much effort and dedication the NE Team put into their show. There were no drastic changes as such, but some lovely additions to enrich the experience of the exhibitors and visitors. A couple that come to mind are a learning area, where visitors could watch educational koi content, and displaying winning rosettes by the vats. It meant each exhibitor got to have a photo, proudly standing next to their lovely koi. There was also a popular new hot food vendor, a fantastic raffle and the return of a nice coffee bar.

Unfortunately, the number of paying visitors was low. I don't mention this to bring the mood down, but I left feeling disappointed for the NE Team. After all the hard work, one hopes people are rewarded by seeing crowds of happy visitors. Whilst the visitors in attendance were indeed happy, it's a shame there weren't more of them. No one is to blame for this, but it highlights the need to support the shows we can (especially) if we're keen to see the survival and growth of the UK show scene.

That aside, I had a great weekend catching up with friends and faces I see less often, plus meeting many new people. The atmosphere was warm and welcoming, and the NE Team should be ruddy proud! Congratulations to everyone involved!

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