10 Years of Buckham Fair!

You may recall, last year we brought you a blog post on our local Buckham Fair, as Scout, the partially-sighted Lurcher, who features in our book For The Love of Scout, was a major winner at last year's event!

This year the event is back, celebrating its 10th anniversary in a show that promises to be bigger and better than ever! Organised by Martin Clunes and his wife, Philippa, on August 19, this popular vintage fair will once again be taking place just outside of the small town of Beaminster, in Dorset, and is sure to be just as successful as in previous years.

The hope, after this summer's event, is to hand over a cheque for more that £100,000 towards the building of a brand new cancer centre in Dorchester. Martin says: 

"We are so proud to support this appeal through Buckham Fair. Many of us have been affected by cancer, either personally or through those we love, so to be able to contribute to the brilliant work that the team at our own Dorset County Hospital is doing is a huge honour for us."

In honour of the show's 10th anniversary, a host of new events are being introduced including a Guinness World Record attempt to have the largest number of dogs sitting simultaneously on command. Let's hope the pups taking part don't try to be Men Behaving Badly! Speaking of which, Martin's co-star Neil Morrissey will once again be in attendance, as he will be judging 'The Dog even more like Neil Morrissey' competition. 

Tracey Ison, Scout and Martin from last year's fair (Photo courtesy Nicky Woods Photography)

A variety of horse, pony, and dog classes and events will run throughout the day, as well as there being a funfair, a classic car display, and a number of local artisan, craft and trade stands. To top it all off, the Food Court will be providing a variety of meals with locally-sourced produce, and will offer a range of vegetarian and vegan dishes, so you won't be stuck for choice!

If you are in the area this weekend, be sure to visit this fabulous fair, as after ten years the Clunes' have decide to take a break after this year and re-group – not just to allow the land to recover, but to give the locals a break from the "incredible patience" they have shown since 2008. For more information, ticket prices and directions, be sure to visit the Buckham Fair website. 

Scout's Visit to Buckham Fair!

Sunday the 20th of August saw this year's Buckham Fair, a good old-fashioned country show, held on the outskirts of Beaminster, which is not too far from Hubble and Hattie HQ. 

First established in 2008, by none other than Martin Clunes himself, Buckham Fair, which includes a small pony and dog show, has been going from strength to strength for near a decade.

One of our very own authors, Tracey Ison, and her loveable pooch Scout, of For the Love of Scout fame, were in attendance and Scout was entered into the Best Rescue class – and he only went and placed first!

Photo courtesy of Nicky Woods Photography

The Best Rescue class is open to all breeds of dog that have been re-homed, and there are a number of factors that judges look for before deciding who should take the crown, which include:

• The condition of the dog, according to the length of time in their new home
• Any mental or physical problems that they have, or are in the process of being addressed
• The benefits the dog has brought to their new family

This is a huge testament to not only Scout himself, but to Tracey and her family, for the love and care they have given to their latest poochy pal since taking him in, not forgetting the effect that he has had in his new home! So, huge congratulations are in order all round!

Tracey even managed to give a copy of her book to Martin whilst he was awarding Scout's rosette. We hope he enjoys it as much as everyone else seems to have, because it really is a great book!

Photo courtesy of Nicky Woods Photography

If you want to purchase your own copy of For the Love of Scout, you can do so right here.