We’re excited to be returning to the Devon County Show again this year from Thursday 16 to Saturday 18 May.
Our stand will be in its usual place on Road 8, where, alongside our partners, we’ll be showcasing the work we do to help make Devon the best place to grow up, live well and prosper.
There’ll be a variety of different exhibitors on our stand this year with lots of information, games and activities for all ages.
Our Transport team will be there along with local bus operators (and a double-decker bus!) to promote the DevonBus Enhanced Partnership, which is working to improve local bus services for residents across the county.
Members of our Fostering Service will be back on the stand to talk to people who are interested in the vital, positive role that foster carers play in the lives of children in care in Devon. They’ll be offering advice on how you can plan your fostering journey, and the difference you could make to the life of a child or young person that needs a home.
We’re also excited to welcome back Sound Communities again this year and their ‘Boom Bus’. Sound Communities connects, engages and inspires through creative digital media production. Like last year, they’ll be using music, radio and creative media production to demonstrate and teach new skills that can help build self-confidence and improve young people’s mental wellbeing. There’ll be opportunities for teenagers and young people to get involved in digital music and podcast making, DJing, rapping, beatboxing and much more.
If you enjoy music, then don’t forget to also visit the Devon Music Education Hub stage on Avenue K and listen to live music performances from schools and Hub supported music activities from across Devon and Torbay.
For anyone interested in a career in health and social care, you can come and talk to representatives from the One Devon partnership and local NHS services who will be joining up with our People and Culture team (HR) on our stand to showcase the huge range of career opportunities available in health and Adult and Children’s social care in Devon.
The Clean Devon partnership will be highlighting their work tackling litter and fly tipping in the county, and the duty of care we all have to keep our communities litter-free. Come and try their litter picking game and find out what we can all do to help keep Devon green and clean!
We’re hoping to discourage thirsty show visitors from buying water in single-use plastic bottles, with South West Water’s FREE water refill station – just bring your reusable water bottle to our stand to fill up!
Heart of the South West Trading Standards service, which covers Devon, Plymouth, Somerset and Torbay, will also be on the stand to promote local producers through their Buy With Confidence scheme and talk to visitors about the importance of buying from businesses you trust.
We will also have representatives from our stop smoking service, Stop for Life Devon, who will be talking to visitors about why there’s no better time to give up smoking and raising awareness of the free support that’s available for eligible people in Devon.
By way of refreshment, visitors will be able to sit down and enjoy freshly ground barista-made coffee alongside a variety of delicious locally made cakes and savouries from The Coffee Stop who will be on the stand for all three days.
You’ll find our Devon County Council Stand in its usual place on Road 8, Stand 313.
If that’s not enough, families will also want to find our Farmwise stand on Road 9 where there will be lots of animals to see and one of the biggest combine harvesters in the county!
Farmwise is all about connecting children with the sources of their food, so on the stand there will be lots of free activities that people of all ages can get involved with, including;
- Making wildflower seed bombs to take home.
- Making newspaper flowerpots and planting them with seeds.
- Digging up and planting potatoes and carrots in the Farmwise vegetable patch.
- Learning more about worms and the amazing job they do looking after our soil.
- Turning butter into cream.
- Milling corn to turn it into flour and milling oil seed rape to turn it into oil.
- Turning apples into juice.
Devon County Council is also supporting the second year of the Innovation Avenue at the Show, hosting a range of innovative agricultural companies and farmers which highlights the collaborative work of the Devon Agri-Tech Alliance (DATA).
There will be workshops on regenerative agriculture, soil microbiology and growing your own as well as a networking event on the Thursday afternoon. Devon Food Partnership will also be there alongside local food producers to promote the benefits of eating local and sustainable food.
You can also find the team from the Heart of the South West Trading Standards’ Rural Support and Wellbeing project at the show, alongside the Devon and Cornwall Police. Their project helps farmers and land managers in the South West to consider their own health and wellbeing, as well that of their farm business, through providing a listening ear and signposting to local support services.
How to get to the Devon County Show
Devon County Show, Westpoint, Clyst St Mary, Exeter, EX5 1DJ.
- By car – the show ground is on the A3052, just one mile from the M5, junction 30 – just follow the signs.
- By bus – from Exeter Bus Station (Sidwell), Sidmouth, Seaton, Honiton and Lyme Regis. The frequency of the Number 9 service will be increased to “up to every 15 minutes” providing a connection from Exeter St Davids Station and Exeter Bus Station to Westpoint. There is more information, including a timetable, on the Travel Devon website.
- By bike – the showground is just one mile from the edge of Exeter and accessible from the city by an off-road cycle path. Visit the Travel Devon website to access interactive Devon cycle maps.
You can find more detailed information about how to travel to the show ground on the Devon County Show website.