Organisers of the Kent County Show are to bring the event forward by a week next year.

The show, which is held at the Kent Showground in Detling near Maidstone and attracted 77,000 people this year, will be held on Friday, July 8, Saturday, July 9, and Sunday, July 10.

Traditionally it was held the following weekend, keeping to a calendar for agricultural shows across the country that spanned back several decades; this ensured that exhibitors and competitors were able to attend sequential shows without a clash of dates.

The closure of the Royal Show in 2009, which took place in July, opened up space in the calendar and so organisers of the Kent one, the Kent County Agricultural Society, have taken the opportunity to move it forward.

They also felt the arable harvest has been getting earlier in the year in the south east.

Chairman, Kevin Attwood, himself a farmer, said: "Kent is often one of the first counties to start the harvest, ensuring that our farmers can attend the Show without compromising the important first few days of harvest was a big consideration. Taking in to account the feedback and the availability of the new dates it seemed an ideal opportunity to make the announcement."

Show manager Lucy Hegarty added: "We are trying to encourage more schools to visit. It became apparent that the final week of term was not a good time for schools to organise a trip. We hope that by moving the show to earlier in July, schools will be in a better position to bring their students."