Popular Ollie takes on leading national role

One of West Country farming’s best known personalities, Ollie Allen, organiser of the Devon County Show, has taken over as Chairman of a national organisation, the Association of Shows and Agricultural Organisations (ASAO). Ollie has been the Secretary of the Devon County Show since 1996 and before that earned her spurs in 16 years at the Royal Bath and West. She says that she is hugely honoured to have been given the chance of leading the ASAO, at a time of great challenge and change for agricultural shows. “To have been elected to do this job by one’s peers is a great honour, but also a great challenge”, she said. “Our industry has had to face up to the recession, a few years of bad summer weather, culminating in the wash-out of 2012, changes in the way farmers do business and the ever more pressing demands of health and safety and livestock legislation. The ASAO is in regular discussions on a national level with numerous bodies such as DEFRA, Trading Standards and the Health & Safety Executive and is seen as the voice of the Show and event industry. We play a crucial role in helping UK agricultural shows and events to find ways to survive and prosper.” “As the population in Devon continues to grow, Shows such as ours act as a bridge between town and country and speak powerfully of the attractions of rural living.” Perhaps surprisingly, for someone who has become such a familiar face in South-West farming circles, Ollie does not come from a farming background. “I’m not a farmer’s daughter but a newsagent’s daughter who happens to have a passion for animals, the rural way of life and seeing people have fun. "When I see the Grand Parade of Livestock in the Main Arena, I get a huge lump in my throat because I have the ultimate respect for the knowledge exhibitors have and the commitment they give to preparing their animals to be the best in the Show ring.” Ollie believes the key qualities needed to be a successful Show and event organiser are “meticulous attention to detail, honesty, limitless patience, a great sense of humour and, above all, a passion for the job”. “All Show Secretaries are passionate about what they do - and that passion comes through in what we produce, which is the Show. It’s not so much a job as a vocation.”