Richard Cuzens, Chief Executive of the New Forest & Hampshire County Show has been elected as Vice Chairman of the representative body for the UK’s Royal, County & Agricultural Shows; the Association of Show and Agricultural Organisations (ASAO).
Since taking over the New Forest & Hampshire County Show in 2002 he has overseen many changes and faced challenges that would have tested many. The first £100,000 surplus in 2003 and the signing of a 49 year lease of 240 acres of Crown lands, to provide a permanent showground, were major successes. His determined approach to overcoming challenges guided his loyal team during the wettest show this July to an unexpected success, when most events in the UK cancelled or suffered total washouts.
The 400 Royal, County and Agricultural Shows in the UK attract in excess of six million visitors annually and are a substantial industry within the rural community. Traditionally a major social event, many Shows including the New Forest & Hampshire County Show, turn over more than £1million at each event and are said to have a positive economic impact on their Counties of £10 to £15 million each per year.
Richard Cuzens, rarely seen without his ‘Show Bowler Hat’, looks forward to acting as apprentice to John Purling of the Royal Norfolk Show, the current ASAO Chairman. Both will throw themselves into keeping rural shows alive and thriving as great County social and commercial events not to be missed.