Member Focus: Melplash Agricultural Society

The Melplash Agricultural Society was established in 1847, a registered charity (charity number 1130201) with the aim of promoting and improving agriculture and horticulture in West Dorset.

This is carried out throughout the year with a number of events including our Garden & Allotments, Farms & Flocks, Rural Craft and Stock Judging competitions.  Promoting agriculture and farming to young children is very important to us and we fund a classroom at Washingpool Farm Shop where we welcome a good number of school visits throughout the year.

At the show we have a Discover Farming zone where children can get involved in a number of hands on activities including making their own pizza, juicing apples, learning about hatching chicks and much more.  For older children we are sharing information on the huge number of career opportunities available in agriculture and farming under our ‘Farmers for the Future’ project.

We also support local students with financial bursaries to assist with their further education costs, in 2017 we supported 12 students with grants totalling £13,500.

Our annual show is held on the Thursday before the August Bank holiday each year and is our main event and welcomes in the region of 17,000 visitors.  Our show is a great day to meet with friends, enjoy the countryside and learn more about West Dorset.  It also offers a fantastic platform to conduct business so there really is something for everyone and we welcome enquiries regarding trading and sponsorship opportunities.

Please see our website for further information