It's been a mainstay of Norfolk life for more than a century – but the full economic impact of the Royal Norfolk Show on the county will soon be revealed for the first time.

Work has begun on a project between the Royal Norfolk Agricultural Association and the school of economics at the University of East Anglia to work out how much the two-day event contributes to the county, with the results expected this autumn.

It will calculate the value of the show using measures including gate receipts, average spend per head and trade sales, all the way through to the benefit to sponsors and the tangible reputational benefit to Norfolk as a whole.

Show director Mark Nicholas said: 'We want to find out the economic impact of the Royal Norfolk Show and its contribution to the local economy, and we have found the right organisation to work with who have experience in this.

'We know there's a great benefit to the county from the show but when this research concludes we will be able to put some figures behind it.'