TWO cancelled events have joined forces to bring “engaging content” about agriculture and farming into the home.

For the first time ever, Dorset County Show and Gillingham and Shaftesbury Show organisers have come together to launch the virtual series ‘Farming @ Home’, with a focus to promote and educate about the world of farming.

Both shows were cancelled this year because of the Covid-19 pandemic, so the teams will instead be using social media channels to share content with those who would normally attend.

Organisers say the shows collectively attract around 80,000 visitors each year.

Virtual content, which will start to be shared this week, aims to provide an in depth view into the lives of Dorset farmers from all walks of life, exploring topics from mainstream farming enterprises to the diversity of British agriculture.

Rebecca Hill, chairman of the Dorset County Show, said she is “delighted” to combine forces with the Gillingham and Shaftesbury Show to “showcase all the incredible things our county has to offer”.

She said: “Our Dorset Agricultural shows are critical for educating the public about the farming industry, as well as promoting our county’s wealth of high-quality food and craft producers.

"While the Covid-19 pandemic has sadly meant neither show can take place this year, our nation’s farmers have continued working incredibly hard to keep up with demand – so we wanted to find an alternative way to support them and promote excellence in agriculture, the countryside and rural life.

“‘Farming @ Home’ is designed to reach the public in an easily accessible format, providing new and engaging content to help give a deeper understanding of the workings of our agricultural industry, as well as Dorset’s artisan producers.”

James Cox, organiser of the Gillingham and Shaftesbury Show, added: “Now more than ever, it’s important that we all come together to support one another during these uncertain times, so our ‘Farming @ Home’ launch with the Dorset County Show is testament to this.

“Our county is renowned for its rich agricultural heritage and diversity, so ‘Farming @ Home’ is set to celebrate this and raise awareness about agriculture on a wider scale – tapping into the ever-growing popularity of social media and production of shareable content.”

‘Farming @ Home’ is being hosted on the Dorset County Show’s and Gillingham and Shaftesbury Show’s social channels Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.