Tom Hammett, who has been volunteering at Devon County Show since 1965, has been selected as President of Devon County Show 2022.

Tom’s impeccable credentials in agriculture make him the perfect candidate for the role.

Not only has Tom been a dedicated livestock farmer all his life, but he was also County Chairman and Trustee of Young Farmers in Devon for some 40 years, as well as a lay member of the Agricultural Land Tribunal until he retired from the role aged 70.

Today, Tom from Broadclyst, remains a trustee of the Devon Farmer’s Benevolent Fund

‘Being show president is a big step up from my first role which was as a livestock steward while I was still in my early twenties,’ says Tom.

‘It was when the show was still at Whipton. I was helping my father run the farm at that time and he’d only allow me one day off. But I absolutely loved it.

‘It was the social event of the year for the agricultural community, and every farmer in the county that had a car attended.’

A couple of years later, Tom was promoted to Pedestrian Gate.

One year, this involved counting in 11,000 school children who attended, all regimented into pairs. He recalls this being quite some task!

In the mid 1990sTom became Senior Steward of Car Parks, Gates and Entrances and then progressed to Chief Steward – a role he held until 2019.

In 2022, in his role as Honorary President, Tom, along with wife, Sarah, will have a jam-packed three days.

‘These days, I can volunteer my time to the show more freely and be relaxed about it now that I’ve handed over the running of the farm to my son, Stephen. I’m so looking forward to the show.’