The show season is now well and truly under way. A warm welcome awaits visitors to Anglia Farmers at the Cereals Event, Royal Norfolk Show, Aylsham Show and, for the first time, the East of England Show.

The show season gives members and their contacts at Anglia Farmers a chance to meet and discuss business matters away from the office environment. It is also an occasion for farmers and other rural business owners to find out about the UK’s leading agricultural purchasing group.

Equally, it gives the opportunity for mutual support between Anglia Farmers and its spectrum of 1500 suppliers. This will be particularly evident at the Royal Norfolk Show.

As part of its commitment to the Norfolk farming community, Anglia Farmers is one of the main sponsors for the show’s charity ball, namely The Wheatsheaf Ball’ which is raising money for the YANA (Your Are Not Alone) project.

“We have received massive support from our suppliers for this ball,” said Clarke Willis, chief executive of Anglia Farmers. “For example, Hunters Land Rover is supplying a new Freelander for a prize draw. Tickets are £10 each with surplus proceeds going to YANA. So while the Wheatsheaf Ball is a sell out, the prize draw tickets are available from Anglia Farmers and other outlets before the event and afterwards during the Norfolk Show. The draw will take place when all 3,000 tickets are sold and we expect this to be on the last day of the show – the Freelander will be there!

“Many wonderful prizes have been donated to the ball for both the auction and tombola. Auction items include the opportunity to bid for an exclusive villa holiday on the island of Mustique for two people with private butler service and chef. Tombola prizes include a golf buggy and a flat screen TV.”

A joint venture with the Royal Norfolk Agricultural Association sees Anglia Farmers hosting a ‘Rural Suppliers Area’ at the show. The two stands for this will house 27 of the group’s suppliers covering grain storage equipment, insurance, communications, IT, fuel, health and safety supplies, electrical equipment, woodfuel heating, groundworks materials, lime supplies, general plant, agricultural and garden machinery, animal nutrition, hydraulic equipment, tyres, fertiliser, fire extinguishers and even a company called Express Coffee Cars!

“This venture at the Norfolk Show epitomises our two way philosophy,” said Clarke Willis. “It gives our members access to a comprehensive group of products and services in one area and it gives our suppliers a profile at Norfolk’s premier event.”