Having spent two days at The Game Fair at Ragley Hall this weekend, you’d think that the obvious thing to write about would be the arena activities, the trade stands, the food on offer and maybe the weather? (For the record the rain mainly held off until the last day, which Holly and I weren’t there for!)

But, as I sit at my keyboard, my overwhelming feeling is one of awe at the countryside community and feeling how lucky I am to be a part of it.  The Game Fair is a day out for everyone who is based in, or loves the countryside.

The Game Fair has most definitely changed, my other business Hiho, has had a trade stand there on and off for over 15 years.  My first foray there was a lot of years ago and back then, it was mainly small core country brands in a field and lots of arena activities.

The arena and have-a-go activities, as always pulled in the crowds, both entertaining them and educating them in traditional country ways, with things like the the Pony Games and working gun dog displays.  The opportunity to have-a-go at country pursuits was also popular and an important awareness raiser for country skills.

These days the trade stands (shops in a field) cover an extensive area and range from obscure accessories to help you tie your fishing flies better through to glamorous outfits for a night on the town.

So now, when you walk around The Game Fair and walk through the crowds, it does feel a little like two very different worlds collided at times – the glamour of influencers vying with the everyday practical garb of country people on a day out.

But I think that is a good thing…

To move forward and survive, the countryside can’t become a closed shop – it is so key to communicate the importance of countryside activities to people who don’t live there, so that they understand the countryside ticks very different from the town scene.Subscribe

Through Hiho, I know many of the influencers who represent the fashion trade stand brands, a lot of them are staunch countryside supporters and were proud to post that they were at The Game Fair.  Many of them work hard to build their following and their audiences reach thousands of people and through them, people become more aware of the countryside.  Harnessing their power to communicate positive messages will raise interest and help people to understand the importance of maintaining countryside heritage.

At this Game Fair, through Holly and our Countrywoman’s Guide quest, I also met many of the ladies who build communities within the countryside and work hard at raising awareness of all things countryside.  I know many of them online, but the warmth of their in-person country welcome was something else.

These ladies work tirelessly to promote their various causes, to support their membership communities and to support each other, often holding down a full-time job and supporting their families as well.  Their countryside values shine bright and they are exemplars through and through.

So a huge thank you to the hospitality of Let’s Eat Wild and Women Who Work in Fieldsports, Claire Sadler from BASC who invited us to the afternoon social to launch the new rebrand as Women in Shooting and last but not least to Tania Coxon and her The Country Girls UK who are just the loveliest bunch of people to spend time with.

Such positive communication is an excellent carrier of change – if we only transmit our message to people who are already on side, we grow numbers – but we don’t change opinions and we don’t move any mountains. To educate and to learn, we have to move out of our immediate circle.

Here at Countrywoman’s Guide, we aim to help with that communication by finding stories that unite the unique magic of the countryside and lessons learned from people in all walks of life.  We hope you will join us on our journey…