Bakewell Agricultural & Horticultural Society

What Bakewell Agricultural & Horticultural Society does

Bakewell Agricultural & Horticultural Society is a registered charity (No. 1045165) founded in 1819 in Bakewell, Derbyshire, England, originally formed as The Scarsdale and High Peak Agricultural Society to support local farmers. It operates Bakewell Showground and runs two signature annual events — the Bakewell Country Festival (July) and Bakewell Christmas Sparkle (December) — alongside a Training Grants Scheme awarding up to £10,000 per year to individuals in agriculture, horticulture and forestry within a 30-mile radius.

The Society's core products are event-based: tiered ticketed public events, trade stand rentals to local vendors (£100–£180 per pitch), parking (£5 per vehicle), and third-party venue hire of Bakewell Showground. Underlying technology is minimal — a Wix.com-hosted website and a third-party ticketing platform (bakewellahs.ticketsrv.co.uk) — with no proprietary software, API, or AI components. Free BAHS membership (newsletter, voting rights, AGM access) is used to build a community database for event promotion.

Revenue derives from event ticket sales, trade stand fees, parking fees, venue hire, and sponsorship from local partners (Frederick's Ice Cream, Taylor Emmet Solicitors, Bradfield Brewery, NFU Mutual). Customer segments include general public/families attending events, local traders and vendors, third-party event organisers hiring the showground, local business sponsors, and rural economy grant recipients. The Society is governed by a Member-elected Board of Directors and is not externally owned; a 2020 restructuring refocused it on its charitable mission after replacing the historic Bakewell Show with the modern Country Festival format.

Name

Bakewell Agricultural & Horticultural Society

Legal name

Bakewell Agricultural & Horticultural Society

Website

https://bakewellahs.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1819

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Bakewell Agricultural & Horticultural Society is a 200-year-old Derbyshire charity operating Bakewell Showground, running the annual Country Festival and Christmas Sparkle events, awarding rural training grants, and serving the public, local vendors and third-party event organisers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Society Events & Venue Operations

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Agriculture, Farming & AgriTech Shows Organizers (THAHABAM)

Keywords

• Agricultural society events
• Community festival operations
• Showground venue hire
• Rural training grants
• Charity event management

Headquarters

HQ city

Bakewell

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Event Ticket Sales: Bakewell Country Festival and Bakewell Christmas Sparkle ticket sales represent the primary revenue stream, with tiered pricing (flash sale, early bird, advance, gate) generating income from the general public attending the Society's own events.
2. Showground Hire to Third Parties: Bakewell Showground is rented to third-party event organizers, providing rental income for the Society when not running its own events.
3. Trade Stand Fees: Trader pitches at Bakewell Country Festival (starting at £130 for 3m x 3m space, £180 for food/bar vendors) and Bakewell Christmas Sparkle (stalls £100, food vendors £150) generate revenue from local vendors.
4. Parking Fees: Parking revenue of £5 per vehicle at events, with capacity for approximately 1,000 cars at Bakewell Country Festival.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Bakewell Agricultural & Horticultural Society is a registered charity that organizes two flagship family events each year — the Bakewell Country Festival (held annually on a Sunday in July at Bakewell Showground) and the Bakewell Christmas Sparkle (held annually in December). The Society also operates Bakewell Showground as a hire venue for third-party events and runs a Training Grants Scheme that awards 10 grants of up to £1,000 each year to individuals working in agriculture, horticulture, or forestry within a 30-mile radius of Bakewell.

Product overview

Bakewell Agricultural & Horticultural Society is a charity operating Bakewell Showground and organizing its own events. The core offering comprises the annual Bakewell Country Festival (held on Sunday 12th July 2026) and Bakewell Christmas Sparkle (held on Sunday 7th December 2025), both family-oriented events combining traditional agricultural exhibitions with family activities, entertainment, food, drink, and local artisan shopping. The society also runs a Training Grants Scheme awarding 10 grants of up to £1,000 each year to support the rural economy. Supporting sub-products include dog shows, heavy horse competitions (including a HOYS qualifier), sheep competitions, classic car displays, and a culinary theatre featuring chef demonstrations. Free membership is available to the public with voting rights and access to funding information.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bakewell Country Festival The Society's flagship annual family day out held at Bakewell Showground, combining traditional agricultural elements (livestock, vintage tractors, rural crafts) with family activities, entertainment, food and drink, and shopping. Held on Sunday 12th July 2026 with tiered adult tickets (Flash Sale £10, Early Bird £14, Advance £16, Gate £20) and free admission for children aged 15 and under.
• Bakewell Christmas Sparkle

Quantifiable outcome

• 10 grants of £1,000 each awarded annually, contributing £10,000 to the local land-based rural economy
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Frederick's Ice CreamcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Principal Partner for Bakewell Country Festival. Frederick's Ice Cream has been a Derbyshire stalwart for over 120 years since establishment by the family's Italian grandfather Angelo. The unique recipe has won the Silver Challenge Cup six times in the National Ice Cream Competition. Their iconic orange and yellow ice cream vans are a feature at events.
• Taylor EmmetcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Taylor Emmet is the Principal Partner for Bakewell Country Festival. Their Peak District office in Bakewell specializes in agricultural, rural and countryside property law, serving farmers, commercial businesses, partnerships and private individuals.
• Bradfield BreweryminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Long-standing supporter of Bakewell Agricultural & Horticultural Society. Based on a busy working farm in Bradfield, Peak District, brewing over 100,000 pints of beer a week. Operating bars at Bakewell Country Festival.
• NFU MutualminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Local insurance and financial services provider with offices in Bakewell (Deepdale Business Park) and Chapel-en-le-Frith. Products include car, equine, pensions, business, property owners, critical illness, home, commercial vehicle, and investments.
• Mr Steve FlewittminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Sponsorship support for heavy horse competitions at Bakewell Country Festival.
• Crown ScaffoldingminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Chapel-en-le-Frith based company supplying and erecting entry gates for Bakewell Country Festival.
• Chesterfield ShopmobilitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Charity partnership providing mobility scooter and wheelchair hire at Bakewell Country Festival. Hire is £10 for three hours. Users need to become temporary members of Chesterfield Shopmobility on the day for insurance purposes. Partnership ensures accessibility for visitors with mobility needs.
• Pure Peak MagazinecoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Association with Pure Peak Magazine for Culinary Theatre programme. Local food magazine founded by Lesley Draper and Steve Caddy in 2007. Lesley Draper curates the Culinary Theatre programme and is a renowned local food writer.
• Tipis in the PeakminorOthers · 1 January 2025Small husband and wife team providing personalised tipi experiences for Bakewell Country Festival events.
• Vector GraphixminorOthers · 1 January 2025James Stuchbury provides print and signage solutions for Bakewell Country Festival.
• Conservation Corner PartnersminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Platform provided to local conservation and agricultural organisations including: Bakewell Old House Museum, Peak District Moorland Group, Chesterfield & District Beekeepers' Association, Moors for the Future, Derbyshire Amphibian & Reptile Group, National Allotment Society, Archaeological Research Services, Rural Action Derbyshire, The Shire Horse Society, The NFU, Heartwood Community Forest, RSPB, Guide Dogs, Ashgate Hospice.
• Travel DerbyshireminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Provides timetable information for buses running into Bakewell on event days for neighbouring villages, towns and cities.
• Lane End Farm TrustminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Provides small animal handling activities at Bakewell Christmas Sparkle with a nominal fee.
• Bakewell Old House MuseumminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Special exhibition at the museum charts the history of the Society, showing its development from a meeting in a pub with farmers to the present day. Part of centenary celebrations marking 100 years at the Showground.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Devon County Agricultural Association: Charity that organises the Devon County Show and operates the Westpoint Showground. Comparable in structure (agricultural show charity) and business model (annual show plus venue hire), serving a similar county-level farming constituency in the South West.
• Royal Agricultural Society of England: National charity promoting agricultural innovation and previously running the Royal Show. Comparable as a charity-led agricultural society with policy advocacy and event programming focused on UK farming, although broader in scope than BAHS.
• Three Counties Agricultural Society: Charity that operates the Three Counties Showground in Malvern and runs the Three Counties Show, Royal Three Counties Show and food festivals. Closely comparable in structure (charity), business model (annual flagship show plus venue hire) and geographic scope (regional agricultural community).
• Staffordshire County Show Society: Charity that runs the Staffordshire County Show at the Staffordshire County Showground. Geographic neighbour within BAHS's 30-mile grant catchment and a direct operational analogue as a regional agricultural show society.
• Cheshire Agricultural Society: Charity that organises the Royal Cheshire County Show. Falls within BAHS's grant catchment region and operates an analogous model: charity-led annual agricultural show with member governance and showground operations.
• East of England Agricultural Society: Charity running the East of England Showground and hosting events including the CLA Game Fair. Comparable in structure (registered charity, annual flagship show, venue hire, food and farming focus) although serving the East of England rather than the Midlands.
• Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland: Charity that organises the Royal Highland Show at the Royal Highland Centre in Edinburgh. Closely comparable in charitable structure, agricultural show focus, livestock competitions and member-led governance, although materially larger in scale.
• Yorkshire Agricultural Society: Charity that organises the Great Yorkshire Show and operates the Great Yorkshire Showground. Directly comparable to BAHS as a registered charity running an annual flagship agricultural show with regional grant-giving and showground venue hire in the North of England.
• Royal Bath and West of England Society: Charity that runs the Royal Bath and West Show and operates the Bath and West Showground. Directly comparable as a charity hosting an annual flagship agricultural show plus venue hire, food and countryside events in the South West.

Regional players

• Honley Show Society: Small regional agricultural show society in West Yorkshire, similar in scale and operational model to BAHS. Useful as a closer size peer for benchmarking membership, volunteer and revenue dynamics of a small UK county agricultural show.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/BakewellAHS
• Instagraminstagram.com/bakewellahs
• Xx.com/BAH_Society

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Bakewell Agricultural & Horticultural Society