THE Emergency Services Show will return this autumn after last year's show was called off, organisers have announced.

The show will be held in six months’ time, on Sunday, September 3 at Cotswold Airport, which is around 10 minutes north of the old showground site at Hullavington.

Chairman Chris Harvey said: “Due to our old venue no longer being available, we have had to find a new showground, and we are delighted to be working with the team at Cotswold Airport.

"The site allows us to retain the most popular features of the show, such as emergency vehicle rides and attendance by the air ambulances, while giving us scope to try out new things.

“Our focus in running the show is to give visitors a great day out, while promoting the work of the emergency services both in Wiltshire and beyond.

"The event is a great opportunity for charities, community groups, businesses and others to get their messages across to a wide audience and in an informal setting."

The event is organised by a charitable trust, made up of volunteers drawn mainly from Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service, Wiltshire Police and South Western Ambulance Service.

Since its inception in 2005, the show had been held at Hullavington airfield, between Malmesbury and Chippenham, through a license agreement with the Ministry of Defence (MoD).

But in April of last year the organising team took the decision to cancel the show, after the MoD announced the airfield was to be put up for sale with immediate effect as part of a wide ranging disposal of land.

The trustees endeavoured to secure agreement to use Hullavington one last time, but took the decision not to risk spending money on the show planning and infrastructure while the risk remained they would still have to cancel.

Yesterday, the trustees announced the show had secured a new venue for this year.

Jo Welch, head of events at Cotswold Airport, said: “We are thrilled to be sponsoring the Emergency Services Show and are very excited that our 60 acre showground site is the show’s new home.

"Cotswold Airport works closely with and supports all emergency services and armed forces, so this new event partnership is a natural synergy between our two brands."

One of the main drivers of the show is to raise money for organisations that support the work of the emergency services, and donations totalling £35,000 were made to local good causes after the 2015 event.

The main sponsors for 2017 are confirmed as Grist Environmental, Vodafone, Cotswold Airport and Sam FM.

To find out more about taking part in the show, visit www.emergencyservicesshow.com 

Online exhibitor and trader registrations, as well as on-line ticket sales, will open on the site in early May.