ENTRY charges for visitors under the age of 16 are being scrapped as part of a bid to

revitalise the New Forest Show.

Members of the New Forest Agricultural Society vowed to give the three-day celebration a fresh new look after visitors complained that it was the same event every year.

Now show bosses have revealed some of the changes being made in a bid to breathe new life into the show and boost its popularity.

Under-fives have been able to enter free of charge for several years but the policy is being extended to include youngsters up to 16 who are accompanied by a paying adult or senior ticket holder.

This year’s show will also feature improvements to the layout of the showground, new themed areas and longer opening hours.

A show spokesman said the line-up would include a new main-ring attraction, Atkinson Action Horses, which is visiting the showground at New Park, Brockenhurst, as part of a nationwide tour.

“The horses have appeared in a raft of TV favourites including Poldark, Victoria and Peaky Blinders.

A show spokesman said: “Improvements have been made to the public entrance and some of the avenues to help visitors have a better day.“There will be fewer trade stands and more interactive areas.

“A new sports zone will provide visitors with the opportunity to take part in free training sessions with local clubs and organisations including the Saints Foundation, Hampshire Cricket and New Forest Marathon.

“We are expanding the countryside area and are currently working on ways to better reflect the local countryside.”

“We will also be hosting a local business village, providing a platform for local organisations to showcase their products and services.

“We hope this will allow more local people to become involved with the show,

which will now be open for longer. Gates will open when the first classes begin at 8am and will not close until 6.30pm.”

Following the 2017 show bosses said they wanted to give the event a fresh feel.

They said: “Following this year’s show we carried out a survey.

“The results, plus other feedback received, indicates that our visitors feel that the layout of the show and attractions offered needed to be reviewed as people felt that it was the same year on year.

“With this in mind we have looked at the plan of the show and have made some drastic changes to the layout to try to introduce some new features which we hope will add a new fresh feel to the show.

The show, expected to attract at least 90,000 spectators from across the south, is being held on July 24, 25 and 26.