NEVER mind the Dragons’ Den, there’s a chance to get into the Bear Pit at this year’s Three Counties Show in June.

Rural entrepreneurs are being encouraged to take the bull by the horns, enter the ‘battle arena’ and sweat it out in pursuit of a cash prize and some invaluable business advice to boot.

Event organisers the Three Counties Agricultural Society will be running its second Bear Pit Business Competition on the first day of the show and is keen to hear from individuals or firms less than two years old who want to compete for £1,000 and expert support and mentoring. The Bear Pit is a Dragon’s Den-style initiative, run in conjunction with Herefordshire Rural Hub and backed for the first time this year by Worcestershire law firm Parkinson Wright.

It takes place on Friday, June 19, in the show’s rural business pavilion, which is supported again by Business Link.

Five finalists will present their cases to a judging panel made up of Richard Jackson of 7Y, David Ledbury of Business Link and Cyril Arridge of Parkinson Wright Solicitors, who will be on the look-out for dynamic businesses which best serve the rural community through innovation and sustainability.

The 2008 competition was very successful. Entrants included a green energy supplier and a locally produced food delivery service among others.

King of the Bear Pit was finalist Adam Evans of SHIFT (Social Hearing For Integrated Farming Therapy) in St Weonards, Herefordshire, whose therapeutic learning experience for young offenders and children in care made the greatest impact on the judges.

Sharon Gilbert, show press & PR manager, said: “This competition is one of a number of initiatives which support our long-term objective to offer real assistance to local firms and individuals in rural enterprise, who are either starting out or are in the early stages of building a business.

“It has already proved an extremely worthwhile project in a very short space of time.

“We are taking applications now, and look forward to another batch of exciting entries.”

The Three Counties Show 2009 takes place at the Malvern Showground between Friday, June 19, and Sunday, June 21, and attracts in the region of 95,000 visitors.

Applications for the Bear Pit event are available from Cathy Meredith at the Herefordshire Rural Hub on 01432 870033.

For more information about the competition, contact John Wilesmith at the Malvern Showground on 01684 584900 or via e-mail jwilesmith@three counties.co.uk.