The opening day of this year's Three Counties Show was a big day for many local people.

From school children and long- serving farm workers, to local traders and skilled craftsmen, there were competitions, prizes and awards.

All That Jazz, a youth orchestra at John Masefield High School in Ledbury, provided musical entertainment to the crowds, while Kirsty Clayton, a pupil from Bredenbury Primary School, near Bromyard, took part in a Ready Steady Cook-style competition.

Eleven-year-old Kirsty was one of six finalists invited to the show to cook up their own amazing recipes for a competition organised by Heart of England Fine Foods, Worcestershire County Council and the army.

Kirsty's teacher Niki Summers said creating their own recipes had been something the children at Bredenbury had really enjoyed.

"Their recipes all seemed to include lots of chocolate," she said.

The cookery theatre was in the show's Business Zone along with speciality food and drink trade stands.

Here local companies were well represented, with butchers S J Goodwin of Poolbrook Road, Malvern, Cradley's Handmade Scotch Egg Company and Gwatkins Cider of Abbey Dore.

"We come to all the shows and some people come back year after year for our pies," said Nick Reynolds, of Goodwins, who said the show had been a busy one.

In the flower show, T3 Plants, a family-run nursery in Bromyard, was among the prize winners.

A display of vintage tractors and farm machinery included a 1932 Fordson Model N owned by Russell Pugh, of Bosbury, and an International 10-20 tractor owned by John Clifford, of Welland. This tractor, restored in 1970, belonged to Mr Clifford's grandfather and ploughed more than 400 acres during World War II.

Silver and bronze medals were presented to three local men who between them could count more than 100 years' service in agriculture and horticulture.

The long service awards are made to employees of TCAS members who have completed 30 years or more continuous service with the same employer.

A silver medal went to horticultural craftsman Peter Smith, who has worked at Reddingend Fruit Farm in Much Marcle for the last forty years. Bronze medals went to David Myers, head gardener on the Bromsberrow Estate and Coddington farm worker Henry Preece, who both had more than 30 years of service.