A historic RAF fighter which is due to take part in a flypast held to celebrate King Charles III’s coronation celebrations this weekend will appear in the skies above the Nottinghamshire County Show next week.
The Hawker Hurricane, which is operated by the RAF’s Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, is due to visit the show, which takes place at the Newark Showground on May 13.
The appearance follows on from the plane’s planned participation in a 60-aircraft-strong flypast over London which has been organised to mark the King’s coronation on Saturday.
It is one of two RAF-operated Hurricanes which, alongside the revered Supermarine Spitfire, played a leading role in the Battle of Britain in the Second World War as one of the country’s most feared fighters.
And its appearance at the county show follows in the slipstream of another of the memorial flight’s planes, an Avro Lancaster, which thrilled the crowds when it performed its own flypast over Newark last year.
Weather permitting, the Hurricane is due to appear just after 2pm, during a performance by another RAF-themed attraction, the hugely popular Barlow Red Barrows – a nine-strong display team who push red wheelbarrows in co-ordinated patterns set to music.
Formed in 2009 and based in Barlow, Derbyshire, the team performs at shows and carnivals across the UK every year, entertaining crowds and raising money for charity at the same time.
The Barlow Red Barrows will be giving two appearances during the day and Wing Commander David Johnston, who provides commentary during the display, says they are all looking forward to it.
He said: “This is our first time at the Nottinghamshire County Show and we’ve been practicing hard. We’re really pleased that the Hurricane will be flying over during our performance, at which point we’ll stop and pay tribute to it when it arrives.
“We all do it to raise money for a good cause and we all love what we do. Our barrows produce smoke just like the real thing and it’s all good fun that’s certainly not to be taken too seriously.”
Elizabeth Halsall, organiser of the Nottinghamshire County Show, said: “Last year’s flypast from the Lancaster was a wonderful event and for many people the stand-out moment of the show.
“We’re thrilled that the RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight will be sending a Hurricane to visit us this year and it’s entirely fitting that it is due to appear during the Barlow Red Barrows’s performance.”
Other entertainment at the show includes the Young Farmers Clubs’ lawnmower race, a dog show, miniature donkeys, livestock displays and equine competitions, as well as a Festival of Food, a Make, Bake and Grow contest, a countryside skills area and a chance to meet animals from White Post Farm.
Advanced tickets for the show are available until May 5, costing £11 – although all children aged 16 and under are free of charge – and to find out more visit www.nottinghamshirecountyshow.com
