Working their red socks off

Each August, a merry band comes together to help run the Chatsworth Country Fair. Simon Reinhold, who's pulled up his volunteering socks for the past 33 years, explains how the tradition came about

- Simon Reinhold

NESTLED deep in the Derbyshire Dales lies one of the greatest country houses of England. Every year (bar three) since 1981, the seat of the Dukes of Devonshire has played host to Chatsworth Country Fair, which has given enjoyment to millions of people in the four decades it has been running. Many attendees may be unaware that profits from the event have given help to thousands more. This is the work of a group of volunteers who set up and run the event and the origins of the project stem from one man’s mission to raise money to help others.

Andrew Cuthbert is the founder of the Red Sock Country Fairs, including Chatsworth, the proceeds of which are used to help charitable causes. In 1975, a small game fair was run at Bayfield Hall in Norfolk, in aid of Norfolk Scouts. The event needed a logo and a local artist drew inspiration from an old game book with an illustration of a top-hatted man shooting a duck with a muzzleloader. The standard uniform of a show steward of the time (bowler hat and pinstripe) was eschewed in favour of brightred shooting socks. Mr Cuthbert wanted stewards to be readily identifiable, but also easily approachable. In 1978, the Earl of Leicester asked Mr Cuthbert to run a celebration of the 200th anniversary of the Holkham Sheep Shearings—the precursor to all agricultural shows and, with the success of this, Mr Cuthbert turned professional.

As it developed, Holkham Country Fair became a regular event and the Duke of Devonshire was approached to see if Chatsworth might be interested in running some- thing similar. The Duke arranged a meeting between his son, ‘Stoker’, the then Marquess of Hartington, and Mr Cuthbert. It emerged that Stoker (now the 12th Duke of Devonshire) had been looking for Chatsworth to hold an event along these lines and a formula was quickly agreed between them.