Lincolnshire Show shines with scorching sun, family fun, royal visits and robot dogs

The event is a celebration of rural Lincolnshire life and this year’s show provided spectacular entertainment for all the family.

West Lindsey District Council was delighted to support the popular annual event with a special marquee to showcase some of the exciting things our district has to offer.

We were thrilled to have the STEPtoFusion team with us to talk about their world-leading prototype fusion powerplant, which is only five miles from Gainsborough. They brought along their new robot dogs which grabbed the attention of visitors all day long.

Katy Jarvis-Morgan, STEP Stakeholder Manager said she was “amazed at the scale and scope of” the show.

She said: “We’ve had some really great conversations so far and we’re only into the first half of the day. We’ve met lots of new people and talked about the opportunities of Fusion, and the robot dogs have been entertaining so many people.

“We use robotics as outreach and in schools to try and enthuse young people to pick STEM subjects and there’s been quite a few young people here today to talk to, but equally we’ve been able to meet lots of different types of people, so it’s been great to be here today and we’re looking forward to the rest of it.”

Elsewhere in our marquee, Savoy Cinema’s Spin the Wheel game had lots of great prizes up for grabs to celebrate the opening of their Gainsborough cinema, from popcorn to cinema tickets.

Children were invited to cool off from the heat and visit Trinity Arts Centre’s craft table and make their own wand with some help from the one and only Cinderella.

Ahead of next year’s food waste collections, the Lincolnshire Waste Partnership were at the show with West Lindsey District Council’s new food waste collections truck and the food waste caddies that will be rolled out to households across the county in March 2026.

Children in particular were excited to see our food waste lorries up close and to have their pictures taken with the lorry.

Lincolnshire Waste Partnership’s Emma Staff, Strategic communications lead – Waste services, said: “From March next year households will start receiving small, indoor and outdoor food waste caddies for the new service and the past two days have been a great opportunity for us to speak with visitors about this, and we’ve had some really good feedback.”

Lincoln Rugby Club and West Lindsey Leisure were also at the event, on a mission to get West Lindsey moving and getting people involved in sport.

Visitor Sandra Hall travelled all the way from Northern Ireland back to her Lincolnshire roots for the show “because it’s such a fantastic day out!”

She added: “We’re staying in Gainsborough. I like Gainsborough a lot because of the historical buildings and the ambience of the streets. In the seven or eight years since I’ve been to Gainsborough, I think it has changed and developed for the better.”

Lincolnshire Recorvery Partnership had a stand at the event. The organisation provides free confidential advice to anyone who feels they need help with drugs or alcohol. The service is also offered to families who have been affected.

Catherine Woolley, from the Partnership said: “It’s our first time at the show, we’ve had two really good days and people have been really open with us and come to speak to us.”

The group held a silent disco, to demonstrate how people can have fun without the help of substances. They are already planning on coming back next year.

Newly appointed Chairman of West Lindsey District Council, Cllr Boles, was at the event, representing the council, and said he’d had a ‘fantastic time’ meeting people.

Speaking at the show on Wednesday, he said: “It has been a fantastic first day at the Lincolnshire Show, and I’ve been proud to attend alongside my partner Katie and our daughter Darcie. We were honoured to meet Her Royal Highness, The Princess Royal, and to showcase the very best of West Lindsey.

“It’s been especially exciting to support the STEP team here, and to see just how much attention the robot dogs have attracted – they have been a huge hit with visitors of all ages!

“It was also great to have Savoy Cinema at our stand as they promote the new cinema opening in Gainsborough this summer – an exciting development for the district that will bring more leisure and entertainment to our community.

“There’s a real sense of pride in Lincolnshire today, and I’m delighted West Lindsey is right at the heart of it. If you are visiting the show tomorrow don’t forget to pop in and say hello.”