Rix Petroleum sponsors major new entertainments venue in Driffield

Leading East Yorkshire fuel company Rix Petroleum has been announced as the headline sponsor of a major new entertainments venue earmarked for Driffield's historic showground.

The £281,000 development, which will improve and extend the current farmers' market building, has been christened the Rix Pavilion after the company agreed a five-figure sponsorship deal with Driffield Agricultural Society.

The arrangement will also see Rix Petroleum's branding appear on the signs around the showground promoting a host of events on the site, including Driffield Show and the Game and Country Fair.

And a specially designed Rix fuel tanker commemorating the five-year agreement has been commissioned by the company to serve farmers and rural communities in Driffield and surrounding areas.

Duncan Lambert, director and general manager of Rix Petroleum, said the sponsorship deal extended the already strong ties between the company and Driffield Agricultural Society. Rix Petroleum has attended Driffield Show for sixty-six years in succession and occupies one of the largest exhibition spaces on site every year.

Mr Lambert said: "We have been serving farmers in East Yorkshire for more than 100 years and for a great many of those we have been attending Driffield Show. As a result we have developed a close working relationship with the Agricultural Society.

"Partnering with them to sponsor the new building is a real source of pride for us and we are delighted they have chosen to call it the Rix Pavilion; it is a real honour".

David Tite, Chief Executive of Driffield Agricultural Society, said the building would be unlike any other in the town and would provide a top class venue for conferences, dinner dances, concerts and theatrical performances.

It will also enable the society to stage events indoors, making it less dependent on the weather, Mr Tite said. "There is always the threat of a wet show week which means we can lose a lot of income," he said. "That happened in 2011 and 2012 and was quite damaging, but it taught us a valuable lesson. We discussed the idea of a really good indoor venue as far back as 2009 but funding was an issue at the time. Now, thankfully, that is in place and we can go ahead with our plans.

"We believe the new venue will help us maximise the potential of the showground and really benefit the town".

The building will feature a mobile stage and dance floor, dining and conferencing facilities and seating for between 300 and 350 people, but can be made smaller with the use of partition walling.

The development is due to go before East Riding Planning Committee during the spring. Fundraising is ongoing and there are still packages available for anyone interesting in supporting the development.