A KEY date in the county’s calendar is set to change, as the decision has been made to move the date of Monmouthshire Show.

The last Thursday in August has for centuries been the traditional date for Monmouthshire Show, but this is set to change.

The show committee has unanimously decided that from 2017, show day will be on the first Saturday of July.

It is not a decision they have taken lightly, but over the years the switch to seven day shopping has meant that the original idea of holding the event to coincide with half day closing on a Thursday has now become obsolete.

Liz Egerton, Show Secretary, told the Beacon that it was time to change: “It was becoming more difficult for not only the public, but for our committee members, who are all volunteers to take a day off during the week.

“We have been thinking about it for a number of years but it was difficult to find a date in the show and event calendar to move to,” she said.

The early July date was the best they could find that would not clash with other shows. “Bearing in mind many other factors, this was the best date for us,” she said.

They had considered the August bank holiday Saturday, but decided against it for logistical reasons.

Mrs Egerton added: “We took into account the amount of traffic that would be on the roads at a particular time of the summer and worked towards a plan to make sure the show would go off with great success and survive into the future. This date should give us more options than before”

Show season starts in May so the committee hope that people will still be fresh going into the summer.

Monmouthshire Show has been running since the late 18th Century.

It was first held on Chippenham Fields, before moving to Vauxhall Fields. It then relocated to its current riverbank location at the Showground in 2007.