County Show organisers appoint new president
Sir Eric Dancer, the Lord Lieutenant of Devon, has been appointed President of the Devon County Agricultural Association, organisers of the Devon County Show (May 22-24). He succeeds the Hon. George Lopes DL.
Sir Eric was appointed Lord Lieutenant by Her Majesty the Queen in 1998. He is her official representative in the county of Devon and has organised many royal visits to the Devon County Show.
Speaking at the DCAA’s Annual Meeting at Westpoint, Exeter, on Friday, January 24, Sir Eric said that he was delighted and honoured to be taking on his new role, and was looking forward to it, albeit with some trepidation:
“I have to admit that I don’t know much about farming, having spent all my career in manufacturing industry, but I do know that it remains hugely important to the economy and countryside of Devon, and that the Devon County Show is one of the foremost agricultural shows in the country”, he said.
“I have, of course, been to the show on many occasions in the past, but always in the context of a royal visit, when one is inevitably completely preoccupied with making sure that whoever it is keeps to schedule, meets all the right people and has an enjoyable and rewarding visit.
"One honestly doesn’t have much time to take anything else in. So Lady Dancer and I are greatly looking forward to visiting the trade stands, admiring some outstanding livestock and meeting the people who make farming in Devon tick.”
Sir Eric was born and brought up in Sheffield and came to Devon in 1980 to work for The Dartington Hall Trust, where during his time as Managing Director of Dartington Glass, as it was then called, he lead the transformation of the company into, as it is known to-day, Dartington Crystal, Britain's leading, indeed now its only crystal glassware manufacturer.
He was appointed CBE for services to business and training in 1991 and was knighted in the 2013 Queen’s Birthday Honours for his work as Lord Lieutenant.
He is now patron or trustee of some 20 charities in Devon and is anticipating an especially busy and eventful year in 2014, with the centenary of the Great War, the 350th anniversary of the formation of the Royal Marines, the installation of two Bishops to look forward to, as well as the County Show.
“Modern farming is a high-tech, high-skill industry and it is really encouraging to see that it is once again attracting able, enthusiastic young people to take the training that they will need to make the most of the opportunities that now exist. As it celebrates 25 years at the Westpoint showground, I am particularly glad that this year’s Devon County Show will be putting the emphasis on youth and opportunity.”
Sir Eric is the 5th serving Lord Lieutenant to be appointed President of the Devon County Agricultural Association, following in the footsteps of Sir Stafford Northcote (1884), Lord Clinton (1895), Lord Roborough (1959) and the Earl of Morley (1982).
