CLA Game Fair – Photos and Thank Yous

We’re back from another fantastic CLA Game Fair which this year was held in the grounds of the stunning Blenheim Palace.

An action-packed couple of days as always, we were on site from Thursday morning getting the Muddy Matches motorhome in position and setting up our stand.  We were a bit scared as it chucked it down with rain for most of the day but luckily the weather cleared before everyone arrived on the Friday.

In fact, we were blessed with the weather as it was an absolute scrocher for most of the weekend and there were nearly 150,000 visitors to the show over the three days – the second highest number of visitors in the show’s 53-year history!

We all had a great time on our stand as literally hundreds of our members (past, present and joined-at-the-Game Fair) popped in to have a chat.  We signed up hundreds of new members and were giving out a week’s free subscription to current members who came to say hello so, if you’re still looking to meet rural singles who love the muddy lifestyle, now is an excellent time to be using the site.  Why not do a search for our ‘newest members’ and send some of them a message to welcome them to the site?

Success stories

Just a couple of years ago, we were celebrating the fact that 17 couples came up to us at the Game Fair to say that they were getting married or living together.  Can you believe then that around 65 couples came up to us this year to say that they were either engaged or married?!  There were also a lot more who had recently met and a few others who were there on a first date, inspired perhaps by Gareth and Kelly’s story that had featured in the Daily Telegraph the week before?

To read more of our countryside dating success stories, please click here.

One couple, Charles and Sophie, met on the website in 2008 and came to tell us about it at the 2009 Game Fair.  Two years on, we were delighted to hear that they had got married – a big congratulations to them both!

The ‘Muddy AfFair’ dating show

A big thank you to the three strapping chaps – Jake, Jonathan and Martin – who took part in our dating show in the Game Fair Theatre on the Saturday.  They were fantastic fun and completely entered into the spirit of the show to whoops of approval from the packed audience.

Hosted by Apprentice finalist Claire Young, each chap took their turn to try and impress a group of about 20 country girls with a view to taking one of them on a date at the end of the show.  First up was Jonathan, who ended up picking Hannah, then Jake who picked Stephanie and finally Martin who picked Mary.

After the show, the three couples went off to enjoy a bottle of champage and a yummy picnic in the grounds of Blenheim Palace.  A massive thank you to Pipers Crisps, Lymn Bank Farm Cheese Company, Mr Pitchfork’s Pickles, Deli Farm Charcuterie, Belleau Smokery, Loopy Lisa’s Fudge and Breckland Orchard who were all exhibiting at the Game Fair and kindly supplied the goodies for the picnic.

Next year’s Game Fair is being held at Belvoir Castle near Grantham, Leicestershire – see you there?