FROM the antics of the large, pink Mr Blobby to a world-record breaking number of hounds, last Sunday's Tavistock Country Show was declared a roaring success by organisers this week.

At least 3,500 people flocked to the event at Week near Brentor and enjoyed a day packed with spectacle in the main ring and more than 80 trade stalls.

Graham Carter, chairman and co-ordinator of the show, said: 'It went absolutely brilliantly. We were very lucky with the weather as we just had two showers — things elsewhere had to be cancelled. It really was a very successful show.'

There were winners throughout the day, ranging from the donkey derby won by Shane Thomas, to the terrier racing won by Richard Walton's Jack Russell.

Stern Terrible Tom pulled out all the stops to take first prize in the lurcher racing and away from the action the award for best trade stand went to machine engraver Simon Risdon.

Margaret Manning won the Young Farmers' Club competition to guess the amount of balloons stuffed into a tractor cab and the Fred Dark memorial trophy was presented to the best presented pack of hounds in the main ring.

'We made the record with the hounds — we had 370 in the ring, that's the most there has ever been in this country,' said Mr Carter.

The show also raised money for charity — a cheque for £200 was presented to Cancer Research and a further £136 was raised by the exemption dog show which was presented to the Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award scheme.

The only casualty of the weather was a record canine high jump event, which had to be cancelled as the ground was too wet.

One of the most popular crowd pleasers was not the lurchers, the horses or the ferrets, but TV star Mr Blobby.

'A lot of people came to see him — we definitely know of some people that travelled from Kent and Southampton to see him,' said Mr Carter.

'He went down a storm. You look at this big pink blancmange thing and think "What's so funny?", but actually live he is hilarious!'

Mr Blobby was at the show to promote the Safe Child Scheme, which educates children about what action to take if they get lost.

'The children really did latch on to what he was saying, it was very good,' Mr Carter said.