THE organisers of the Mid and West Suffolk Show are promising to make the event showcase the best of local talent and produce.

Suffolk Punches from Rede Hall, birds of prey from The Suffolk Owl Sanctuary and the county’s Land Rover Owners Club will all be putting on shows at the event in Stonham Barns, supported by the East Anglian Daily Times and the Stowmarket Mercury.

The leisure and retail complex, near Stowmarket, has under gone an investment programme which has upgraded many of the venue’s attractions after being purchased by Starglade Leisure last September.

Gary Newland, events manager at Stonham Barns said: “We are trying to encourage as much of the show content to come from the local area, for instance our food providers are all local, from Needham Market, from Woodbridge.

“We were very much focusing on encouraging local producers.

“We wanted to make it a very inclusive event so everyone can really engage with what is going on in Suffolk, particularly with a lot of the small independent sort of cottage industries springing up.

“We have some wonderful craft people, such as wood turners, who are just tucked away in these small little villages around Suffolk but you can actually get up and close with them and see what they do.”

Alan Forward, chairman and chief executive of Starglade Leisure brought Mr Newland across to Stonham Barns after his experience of running annual shows at Rougham Airfield.

The event will be held on July 14 and 15 at The Mid Suffolk Showground in Stonham Barns. Pre sale tickets can be purchased from www.midandwestsuffolkshow.co.uk