Horse Driving Trials 4th 5th 6th August
Country Fair 5th 6th August

7th February 2000

Lord Burns
PO Box 31010
London
SW1H 9ZL

Dear Lord Burns

I write as Chairman and Show Director of Lowther Driving Trials & Country Fair, an annual event which takes place over three days each August and is now in its twenty-eighth year. This show started from very small beginnings but is now the biggest event in the north-west of England attracting 55,000 to 60,000 people each year.

Apart from the Carriage Driving, the mainstay of Lowther is the Country Fair which is our attempt to show the public all facets of the countryside and how all the integral parts fit together. In conjunction with the Moorland Association, the Game Conservancy and the Countryside Alliance we have demonstrated how over the centuries the fabric, landscape and makeup of the countryside has been forged by country activities, and in particular shooting and foxhunting.

The Lowther Hound Show, after Peterborough and the Great Yorkshire, is probably the biggest hound show in the country with 509 individual hounds entered in 1999. This is quite remarkable for a part of the country where the main form of foxhunting is fell hunting which plays such an important part in helping control foxes in the Lake District mountains. No other viable method of control exists and the work done is vital to the viability of the Lakeland sheep farmer.

In addition to the Hound Show we also have a Working Terrier Show with over 300 entries in 1999.

The effect of a ban would be to destroy these two elements of the show. They are also incorporated into the Main Arena displays with the now famous Lowther Hound Parade. I think my Committee would find it extremely difficult to run the show if the hunting element was removed. In particular we would lose an enormous number of volunteer helpers who make the whole event possible. I suspect a ban would mean the end of the Country Fair which is the element of the show as a whole which makes it viable and as a result this event would disappear from the calendar.

/. . . continued

We know that the Lowther weekend is more important to local hotels, restaurants, pubs, bed and breakfasts etc than any of the Bank Holiday weekends, thus the knock-on effect to the area would be enormous.

I am really writing to demonstrate the fact that any ban has a much wider effect than just those immediately involved in foxhunting and I hope you will take this into consideration.

Yours sincerely

R C Benson
Chairman & Show Director

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Date uploaded to site 30 May 2000