Behind the scences to our Easter Weekend

On Sunday, 20th April, and Monday, 21st April, we had the exciting and nerve-wracking opportunity to attend the British Country Show at Henham Park in Suffolk, situated about two hours from where we are based. Quintessentially British Events generously invited us to participate for free to help raise awareness and funds for our rescue. This was our first-ever show, so we’d like to share some behind-the-scenes details.

Saturday 19th April - Set up

Exhibitors had the opportunity to access the venue a day before the event, which allowed them to set up their spaces. However, organizing this process was quite challenging due to several factors: my work schedule, the limited hours available for accessing the site, and the fact that I was the only driver for transportation.

The venue's gates opened from 12 PM to 7 PM, which initially seemed like a reasonable timeframe. However, I (Shelly) work every Saturday from 9 AM to 1 PM, and considering the travel time to the venue, we wouldn’t have arrived until around 3:30 PM at the earliest. This would have left us with approximately two hours to set up our display, as we were also planning for an early night.

Fortunately, we received valuable help when Anne Raven offered to take Matt on Saturday. With their combined efforts, they set up the framework for our space, ensuring that the bones was in place for the event. Their assistance alleviated the stress of our scheduling conflicts and allowed us to focus on the final details of our setup.

Sunday 20th April

Exhibitors were required to arrive on-site between 7:00 and 8:30 AM, with no vehicle movement allowed after 8:45 AM. Our first alarm was set for 3:30 AM, and we began loading the car at 4:00 AM. I had already packed most of the items the day before after work, while Matt and Anne were at Henham, so we only needed to load a few additional items, including the cold box and the animals.

We left our house just before 5:00 AM, well before sunrise. My car had heated front seats, and I turned the heating on to ensure the animals stayed warm during the journey. The drive was quiet, and I enjoyed watching the sunrise as I drove. The satnav didn’t guide me to the correct gate, but fortunately, there were signs I could follow to reach the right entrance. British Events volunteers greeted us at the gates with a large welcome sign behind them. With their directions and Matt's assistance, we quickly found our gazebo. Thankfully, we were permitted to park the car next to the gazebo for the duration of the event, making it much easier to leave items that we didn’t need immediately.

Visitors were allowed in starting at 10:00 AM, so we had plenty of time to set up. The first thing we did was set up the animal enclosures and settle the animals in. Due to the wind, we quickly learned that our banner had to be placed inside the gazebo as well. Once everything was set up, we still had time to enjoy breakfast and a cup of tea.

Day one set up before we added all our signs.

On the first day of the British Country Show, we checked the different animals we could take and decided to take Gnocchi, our gentle royal python; Lucozade, the adorable corn snake; Ziro, the derpy Pacman frog; Lucy, our gentle crested gecko; Pinkie, the playful leopard gecko; Jar Jar, the friendly blue-tongue skink; and George, our sturdy tortoise. Despite the wind, the weather was quite warm, so the animals did not require additional heat throughout the day. With this in mind, we set up the gazebo to create space for visitors to come in and meet the different animals.

Throughout the day, we carefully monitored the animals. We periodically swapped out one of the temporary enclosures and switched it for either the tortoise or the skink box to ensure their comfort. We prioritised checking on each animal regularly, watching for signs of stress, and providing them with space when needed.

The pace of the day felt relatively slow, with waves of visitors followed by quieter moments when we could catch our breath. Many visitors seemed in a hurry, staying for a few minutes to observe the animals before moving on. However, a handful of visitors took a genuine interest in learning more about our cause and the animals. A few even participated in our tombola or kindly donated to our collection bucket, which helped support our efforts. Additionally, we had the opportunity to connect with other exhibitors, learning how the shows operate. Overall, the day was a positive experience.

The British Country Show closed to visitors at five o’clock, but by four, the number of lingering guests had dwindled to just a few. Once the site was officially closed, we started packing up. We carefully packed away the tombola, secured the money tin, and gathered the leftover food, loading everything into the car along with other essential items we needed to take home. Matt took charge of unplugging the equipment while I gently loaded the animals back into their carriers, which were then secured in the car. We ensured everything was safely inside the gazebo and zipped up the front of the gazebo.

During the drive home, I enjoyed the beauty of the sunset. The roads were fairly quiet, and I ensured the car maintained a comfortable warmth for the animals. Upon arriving home, we quickly unloaded the animals. We tended to all the animals within the rescue, ensuring each one had fresh water and misting those that required humidity. Once everything was settled and the animals safely tucked away, it was then time for us to retire for the night, ensuring the alarms were set to do it all again the next day.

Monday 21st April

We began our day with another early start, pulling out of the driveway by 5 a.m. Fortunately, the traffic was light, and there was just a drizzle of rain. When we arrived, we noticed that the welcome sign had changed to the one below, which gave us both a good laugh. We couldn't resist stopping to take a photo.

After reflecting on our experiences from the previous day, we decided not to bring the Leopard gecko along but did take the other species. We decided to keep the same snakes and skink. However, we swapped out the Pacman frog for Gardulla and replaced the Crestie with Cleo.

Due to the weather forecast, we decided to reorganise the gazebo to ensure the animals had adequate heat throughout the day. We also noticed the day before that we were taking the animals to the front of the gazebo. However, as we began plugging in our equipment, we encountered an issue: the power did not work. Matt investigated and discovered that the generator, which powered our section of the gazebo, had run out of fuel.

The exhibitor beside us kindly offered us some extra blankets to cover the animals up and to help keep them warm. We appreciated the gesture but ultimately decided it would be better to leave the animals in the car, where we could have the heating on. Thankfully, the generator was refuelled relatively quickly, allowing us to set up all enclosures. Once the animals were comfortable and settled, we took a moment to enhance our display by adding a few more handwritten signs. One of the signs read: “Come and meet our friendly snakes!

We expected the day to unfold quietly, much like the previous day, but we were in for quite a surprise. It was a bank holiday, so many families and individuals decided to flock to the British Country Show for a day of entertainment and exploration. At one point, I was monitoring a small crowd holding snakes while Matt was doing the same with a skink, and a tortoise wandered between us. When we finally got a moment to catch our breath, Matt grabbed us some tea, providing much-needed warmth.

Anne arrived to lend a hand once the gates closed and the crowds dissipated. We began repacking our equipment and safely returning all the animals to their containers. With our cars fully loaded, we each set off for our homes. Once we arrived home, we carefully put the animals in their enclosures, ensuring they were comfortable after the busy day. Finally, we climbed into bed, completely worn out. Fortunately, we had both taken the next day off as a holiday, allowing us to rest and recharge.

Overall, the British Country Show was a positive experience, and we would do it again despite the early morning.

Jar Jar the skink in his harness.