Black Isle Show cancelled after directors meet
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THE biggest agricultural event in the north has been cancelled.
The Black Isle Show, scheduled for August 6 at the Mannsfield Show Ground at Muir of Ord, attracts tens of thousands of people and generates hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of business.
But the Black Isle Farmers’ Society, which had held off on making a final decision, said today it has been called off because of uncertainty over the coronavirus crisis.
Directors and the secretary met virtually last night to discuss the possibility of it still going ahead.
On behalf of the nine-strong board of directors, President for 2020 Mrs Frieda McKenzie said: “Our directors were unanimous in the sad but inevitable decision to cancel the 2020 show. As a society we enjoy and relish staging such an important and popular event for the Highlands but for this year with a most exceptional set of circumstances we have a responsibility to protect our exhibitors, traders, guests and the general public from such an unknown and devastating disease.”
Company secretary, Rod Mackenzie, also said: “This was a decision we could have taken four weeks ago but we always lived in hope that the situation might have shown some improvement in that time. My optimism was buoyed on by encouragement and enthusiasm from exhibitors, trade stand holders and regular attendees who set a huge emphasis on Black Isle Show as a shop window and trading platform for their goods, products and services.
"Like every other year planning for the next year’s show never halts but instead of 12 months preparation there will be 15 months instead. The date for the 2021 show is Thursday, August 5 with the evening preview on Wednesday, August 4.”
It joins a host of major events to have pulled the plug on 2020, amongst them Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival.
