The Dig For Victory Show is a 1940's themed festival to be held in the summer of 2014 at the North Somerset show ground near Bristol. As founder of the show, my vision is to provide my local community with an affordable, family orientated weekend event to explore this turbulent yet thought-provoking period in our recent history.

"I want to bring this history alive and the generations together with a sense of nostalgia and pride - to learn, remember and have fun"

For four years running I have put on and self funded a World War Two weekend event at a National Trust property and gardens just outside Bristol supported by a group of hard working volunteers. We have been struck by its success and we have now outgrown this venue. In 2014 we are moving to a nearby show ground to spread our wings and add new entertainment and learning experiences - The Dig For Victory Show.

Your country needs you!

This is where you can be a part of the spirit of the era. We have a fantastic team of enthusiasts, experts and volunteers raring to go. We have the passion, the creativity, the knowledge, a proven track record and the ability to realise the Dig for Victory Show. We have committed years of hard work and lovingly restored and maintained a collection of wartime vehicles, the Shopland Collection. We need you now to pull together to make this show a reality, to help us grow and enable us to share the story with the wider community.

The fabulous forties

We will celebrate the 'Best of British' and life in the '40s with re-enactors demonstrating what life was like in wartime Britain, an exhibition of over 80 original, restored wartime vehicles, equipment and artillery pieces, veterans sharing stories, traditional rural crafts including farrier and thatching demonstrations, locally-grown produce stalls and vintage clothing.

Entertainment for adults and children alike will include dancing in the Victory Marquee, live music from the era, fashion shows displaying trends of the time and traditional fair rides. The necessity for thrift during wartime Britain will be showcased by Make do and Mend workshops. We will look at what we can do in today's times of austerity to waste not want not and "upcycle". We also plan to set up a 1940s working farm with animals to explore life on the Home Front and hold a Victory Dance on the Saturday night.

Lessons from the past

Education about this key historical decade in the life of our parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents is important. This will be highlighted through our work with local schools to provide children with an interactive learning experience. There will be a children's trail, hands on museum and various competitions. We want to capture oral histories from some of the older people in our community who lived through the war so these might be shared with younger generations before they are lost.

Unique military vehicle exhibition

My own passion for vehicle restoration has taken me to all corners of the UK borne out by my unique personal collection of 30 restored wartime military vehicles known as the Shopland Collection (www.shoplandcollection.com) which I have exhibited at numerous rallies and events. These will be exhibited during The Dig For Victory Show.

This could be just another vehicle rally in a big field but we believe it can be so much more and we have received loads of encouragement to ‘go for it’.

BUT….we need your help to make this show a reality.

Dig for Victory! Every little bit counts

We could not put this show on without the support and enthusiasm of others in particular, members of the Invicta Military Vehicle Preservation Society (IMPS) and the Blitz Buddies. Our aim is to make this show an annual event. We need to find a minimum of £8,000 over an 8 week period in order to put the show on in its first year.

We have to pay for the infrastructure- licences, site hire, toilets, security, marquees, waste etc. It soon adds up   We are hoping you will give us a chance, invest in our project and that in return we might be able to offer you some unique experiences and tickets for our show.

Please pledge on the right hand side of your screen and share this campaign with as many others as you can.

A big thank you for your interest in our project it means such a lot to us.