The organisation behind the Royal Norfolk Show has highlighted hot weather and a drop in the number of paying visitors among the reasons for a decline in revenue last year.

The organisation behind the Royal Norfolk Show has highlighted hot weather and a drop in the number of paying visitors among the reasons for a decline in revenue last year.

At the Royal Norfolk Agricultural Association's AGM, members were told the county's summer showpiece had succeeded in increasing the number of children in school parties from 2,500 to almost 8,500. But that was offset by a drop of about 6,000 paying visitors, contributing to a deficit of £155,191 for 2015.

Finance director Grant Pilcher said: 'The Royal Norfolk Show was affected by extreme weather and low attendance, which has had a significant effect on the bottom line, but that has been mitigated by increased earnings from the showground and the arena.

'2015 will be remembered for a very hot show. The attendance figure was almost identical to 2014 but the mix was different. We were very successful in increasing school visitors but large numbers of visitors were lost because of the temperatures. We are not alone in this, but it is pleasing to note that trade stand and commercial income remained strong, along with a strong showing from sponsors, which we are very grateful for.'

In the RNAA's annual report, chairman Sir Nicholas Bacon says the financial impact of the hot weather was 'disappointing' and suggests that all county shows needed to address a fundamental shift in the way people spent their leisure time in order to reverse the trend of falling visitor numbers.

'The Royal Norfolk Show is real, full of people animals and exhibits,' he says. 'We need to promote the real against the virtual, the touchy feely side to rural life rather than that relayed by screens across the globe.

'The fall in paying guests was offset by an upturn of the numbers of children coming in school parties, which amounted to some 9,000. This is the result of a change of strategy and to the education content of the show, including the Discovery Zone, more trails and a more joined-up experience for school parties. All this worked extremely well.'

RNAA chief executive Greg Smith added; 'Once again it has been another exciting, successful and interesting year for the Royal Norfolk Agricultural Association, all rolled into one.

'The jewel in our crown undoubtedly remains The Royal Norfolk Show and in quite testing conditions we ran another highly successful event in 2015, with around 82,000 people attending over the two days. The Show remains at the heart of rural life and we were particularly pleased with a strong growth in the number of young people attending this year, rising from 2500 in 2014 to nearly 8500 school children in 2015. But as with other agricultural events we have continued to wrestle with the challenges of retaining visitors numbers and ensuring the show remains relevant in modern life, and it is clear to us that many people still believe the Royal Norfolk Show continues to represent a fantastic day out and retains its place as one of the most highly regarded agricultural events in the UK.'

During the meeting at the Norfolk Showground, outgoing president Robert Carter thanked the army of volunteers which helped co-ordinate the RNAA's events during his tenure, with a special mention for his wife Charlotte, adding that last year's show was 'probably the best two days of our lives'.

Mr Carter's focus on education will be taken on by new president Prof David Richardson, the vice chancellor of the UEA, whose appointment as president was confirmed at the meeting. His deputy, and president-elect for the following year, will be the Very Rev Jane Hedges, Dean of Norwich.