Jenkyns to host county version of Great Exhibition

Dame Andrea Jenkyns has announced a Great Exhibition for Lincolnshire

The mayor of Greater Lincolnshire has announced details of a major event to promote "our amazing county".

Dame Andrea Jenkyns said she had taken inspiration from the Great Exhibition of 1851, which showcased the industrial and cultural achievements of the UK and other nations to the world.

The Lincolnshire version would feature the very best of local innovation, invention and technology, she added.

It is due to be held at the Lincolnshire Showground, near Lincoln, on 22 October.

Dame Andrea said the aim of the inaugural event was to attract new investment and trade, with the guest list including overseas delegates and investors, business figures and leading politicians.

She hoped the "Great Exhibition" would raise the county's economic profile and become a "flagship annual event" showcasing all that was great about the county.

"We are truly world-leading in some key industry sectors and have extraordinary potential for inward investment and innovation," she said.

"Our county is rich in so many ways – it is a place to trade, to innovate, and to invest."

Queen Victoria and Prince Albert opened the Great Exhibition in Hyde Park, London, in 1851

Dame Andrea pledged to stage the exhibition following her victory in May's mayoral election, when she represented Reform UK.

During her victory speech, she vowed Reform would "reset Britain to its glorious past".

The Great Exhibition of 1851 was the idea of Queen Victoria's husband, Prince Albert, who wanted to show off the work of the best inventors and scientists in the land.

It was staged at the mammoth Crystal Palace and attracted six million people, with notable attendees including Charles Dickens, Charlotte Bronte and Charles Darwin.

The money made from the exhibition was used to set up the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Science Museum and the Natural History Museum in London.

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