Cllr Mrs Judy Butt, Mayor of Poole 2006/07

The Mayor of Poole, Cllr Mrs Judy Butt, held her much-anticipated Spring Show in Poole Park.

With many months of preparation work behind, the day of the Show finally arrived with many stallholders arriving very early and even the day before to set up in good time before the public arrived. The Mayor arrived at 6.30am to start the set up and greeting of stall holders as they arrived to set up for the day. At 10am the Mayor and her Consort, arriving escorted by motor cycle outriders, were met by a fanfare from the Dolphin Marching Band, who played a tribute to the major American sponsors Bank of New York and then retired, leaving the Poole Borough Band to strike up for the main sponsors reception laid on by the Mayor as a thank you for all the terrific support that she had received for the Spring Show.

The highlight of the weekend, brought at considerable expense from Switzerland, was Oliver's Water Show, encompassing four young Olympic-standard athletes diving from heights of up to eighty feet to complete acrobatic stunts in mid air before landing in a huge pool of water, usually with an almighty splash. Performing four times a day for the two days, Olivers began with a formal launch which was hosted by the Mayor and attended by representatives from the major sponsors Bank of New York and RM Productions, as well as other contributors to the Show.

Other major attractions in Poole Park included the ever-popular French Market with its selection of continental sausages, cheeses, olives and biscuits. A sound stage, operated by the Rock Poole Project music school, showcased a wide and varied selection of local bands throughout the weekend to the delight of the young people who came along to see what was happening.

Local Chinese entrepreneur Andy Chu staged demonstrations of Oriental cooking and, with his dance group Dragon of the South, staged the colourful Chinese Lion Dances and Dragon Dance. Dorset Fire Brigade staged demonstrations of rescuing the Mayor from a wrecked car, recovering the Mayor in good form but leaving the car in a sorry state. Other demonstrations in the two arenas included gymnastics and trampolining, cadet drill exercises, Maypole dancing and street dancing.

The Wessex Volleyball Team staged demonstrations and taster sessions of their sport, for which Poole is hoping to host the pre-Olympic training, while the well-known Three Counties Classic Car Club brought along a selection of fascinating vehicles from past years. Backed up by a huge selection of businesses, charity stalls and funfair rides, the result was a huge Show with an eclectic mix of attractions to satisfy anyone, as the thousands of attendees were happy to agree with. Despite some inclement weather which caused the loss of some marquees overnight and cooler weather on the second day, the Show was a tremendous success which raised some £19K for the Mayor's Charities and gave the Appeal Fund a huge boost.

Cllr Mrs. Judy Butt, Mayor of Poole, said "Phew! What a marathon it was, 12 months planning, thousands of pounds of sponsorship, a huge team of people to man the gates on the day, ably provided for by my ‘ladies that do' from my Charity Committee, feeding and watering some 200 helpers over the two days. I whizzed around on my own electric scooter and met all the stallholders and performers over the weekend. Enormous thanks must go to all the stalwarts who turned up to stand for hours at a time shaking buckets to collect donations at the five manned gates, we made a stonking £19,000 a record I think, but regardless of that yet another triumph for my charities and the people of Poole who attended in droves despite the weather. I cannot begin to thank my sponsors for their outstanding generosity, every business in the Park supported the event and really enhanced our beautiful Victorian Park as a place for the community to meet and enjoy all that is has to offer. The Bank of New York and RM Productions ensured that the Show was possible deepest gratitude to them for ensuring that the Community remain to enjoy the Mayor's Show!"

The opening of Oliver's Water Show at the Mayor's Charity Spring Show in Poole Park.

The Mayor of Poole, Cllr Mrs Judy Butt, with Chinese entrepreneur Andy Chu and a children's Chinese Lion at the Mayor's Charity Spring Show in Poole Park.

The Chinese Dragon during the Dragon Dance at the Mayor's Charity Spring Show in Poole Park.

The Mayor of Poole, Cllr Mrs Judy Butt, p-p-picks a p-p-pair of p-p-penguins (husband David Butt right and family friend Russell Mahoney) at the Mayor's Charity Spring Show in Poole Park.

The Mayor's daughter, Georgina Butt, prepares to make a dive at the Water Show at the Mayor's Charity Spring Show in Poole Park.