Page 37 - SV 3 2024

NVS National
Championships 2024
NORMAN DICKINSON FNVS, SHOW SECRETARY
The Southern Branch of the NVS
are hosting the 2024 National Championships in September at the South of England Agricultural Society (SEAS) showground in Ardingly, West Sussex, RH17 6TL and will be part of the SEAS Autumn Show and Horse Trials. We have put together a strong team to plan and organise the event, consisting of Chris and Diana Spree as Show Managers, Keith Hine as Show Advisor and yours truly as Show Secretary. We had a major hiccup back in 2023 when we had to cancel the booking at RHS Gardens Wisley but fortunately SEAS were most pleased for us to hold the event in Ardingly.
You will find enclosed with the Summer 2024 edition of SV the NVS National Championship 2024 Show Schedule
and for this year’s Championships we have made a monumental change to the Schedule where we have now included advertisements from our key sponsors and partners interspersed with the
main schedule sections. As part of our compliance with the Data Protection Act 2018, we have taken the decision to make the Entry Form a separate loose page so that the bank details required for making BACS payments to the winners can be removed from the bottom of the form and be shredded. By having a separate Entry Form, this will not destroy the Schedule when entering classes, as
we do know some of you like to keep old copies for future reference.
SEAS have allocated
the top end of the Abergavenny Building for the Championships, and we will be taking up circa 24m of the building, which is just under 25% out of a total length of 104m. Some of you may recognise the building from the BBC TV series Antiques Road Trip and Bargain Hunt and which has featured many times.
An important part of the National Championships
is the ability for exhibitors
to stage overnight and this year will be no exception. Staging commences at 4pm on Friday, 20th September
and finishes at 8am on Saturday, 21st September. Access for staging will be via the Main Entrance and once through the two sets of gates, take the first turning on the right which leads to the building. Drive round the left side then turn right at the end of the building to find the entrance doors where unloading may take place. Once unloaded, please park down the side of the building before staging. All vehicles must be removed from site once staging is complete, and all vehicles MUST be off of the Showground by 8.30am on Saturday morning. No exception. Please refer to the site map for details.
Members intending to visit the Championships, either as a competitor or as a visitor will find that the Showground
is conveniently located close to Gatwick Airport and the M23 and is a drive of approximately 15 minutes (8 miles) from Junction 10 (Crawley) on the motorway. The M23 links at junction 7 of the M25 London orbital motorway, which in turn links to the major roads leading to the rest of the UK. Please refer to the location map for more information. There is ample car parking serving the Showground. For those intending to stay for one or more nights, there are numerous hotels and lodging houses in close proximity and with a range of prices to suit all. A comprehensive list
of places to stay close to the Showground can be found at https://www.seas.org.uk/
NVS Champs in Abergavenny Building
places-to-stay. There is also limited space available for on-site camping (tents or caravaning), please send me an email to memreg@nvsuk.org.uk for further details. Information regarding other activities that will be taking place over the weekend can be found at the SEAS Autumn Show and Horse Trials website, https://www.seas.org. uk/autumn-show.
The NVS AGM is traditionally held on the first day of the Championship and this year will be no exception. Due to space limitations, it will not be possible to hold this on the Showground, instead it will
be held in the Hapstead Hall in Ardingly Village, which is about 3⁄4 mile (15 minute walk) from the Showground. Following the AGM, the presentation of prizes will take place. Light refreshments will be available.
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