Five things you might not expect to see at the Suffolk Show

BBC News

29-05-2025

Suffolk is busier than ever this week as tens of thousands of people from far and wide attend the Suffolk Show in Trinity Park near Ipswich.The event, which kicked off on Wednesday, celebrates the county's heritage and culture with visitors able to enjoy hundreds of shows, performances, food stalls and more.While firm favourites make a return to the show, which will come to an end later on Thursday, there are also unexpected new things to see and do each year.
Dinobot Dave
One thing you might not expect to see at the Suffolk Show is a small, interactive dinosaur called Dave.It was created by Transformers Car Hire, based in Leicester, which was invited to the show by the county council.Simon Peters from the company said Dinobot Dave was "like a very big dog"."He interacts with everybody, you can stroke him under the chin, he'll roar for you, it's head waggles around, you can feed him and he waggles his tail," Mr Peters said."This was my manic idea one evening. It started out as a kid's toy - a green, fluffy dinosaur toy."I stripped him all the way down, took all the paint off him, took all the electronics out, all the motors, rebuilt him back up as the Dinobot, and we've put a saddle on him from a Shetland pony."This way, the kids can come sit on him and get some photos. He's a cool lad."
Sherman tanks
New for 2025 is the Victory 80 display, to commemorate Victory in Europe Day.As part of this, Sherman Tanks as well as other military vehicles can be viewed.The tank was designed and built by the United States for World War Two.It was one of the most widely used tanks among the Western Allies and was deployed to Western Europe as well as North Africa and other places.
Gliders
Also new for this year's show is a glider display from the Army Gliding Club (Anglia) based at Wattisham Airfield near Stowmarket.The gliding club has existed for about 40 years and was established to introduce service personnel to the sport. The club now also accommodates veterans and civilians.Simon Ginns, club secretary, said: "We exist to help soldiers learn to fly."It is fabulous, it is probably the best way to learn to fly and certainly the cheapest way to learn to fly."Our youngest solo pilot is 14 and he came to us at 13 with no flying experience and went solo in six months, a week after his 14th birthday."
Vintage farming equipment
Farming and agriculture are a huge part of the Suffolk Show - but you might not expect to see equipment that is over 100 years old.Ben Hockley, a regional sales manager for G. Thurlow & Sons Ltd, based in Stowmarket, brought along vintage equipment to the event. This included a pair of ploughing engines that were originally built for World War One."When the war came to an end, they got adapted for an agricultural purpose," Mr Hockley said."We supplied these engines with the plough they pull across the field, with the cultivator and with the other attachments that it would have had back in the day."We also would have supplied the living accommodation - the hut, that the men who worked these machines slept and made their breakfast and lunch in."We've got paper records in the office going back to when these were sold, which we've supplied to their current owner."
Boysie the huge horse
Horses are another staple of the show, and while the likes of the Suffolk Punch and heavy horses are large, there is one that potentially towers above them all.Boysie is a 13-year-old Percheron horse that stands at about 2m (6.5ft)."He's 19.2 hands high, but he's never been officially measured because when we took him to the vet to measure him, their stick wasn't tall enough," Lynsey Atkin, Boysie's owner, said."He's very straightforward, considering he's a big horse, you'd think he'd be very scary, but actually he's really easy, calm, and I would happily put a beginner [rider] on him, which is nice because with a big horse you need them to be safe."
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