Ever since I started as a journalist, covering the Suffolk Show has been one of my favourite jobs - so it was wonderful to return to Trinity Park for its return this week.

My last two visits to the venue had been to get my first two Covid jabs - very necessary but somewhat less exciting than a day at the show!

It was great to find that in so many ways nothing had changed. The atmosphere of the show remained unaltered, old friends met, in some cases for the first time in three years, and there was a comforting sense of familiarity all around.

Of course, the show does evolve and there were some notable changes this year - some as a one-off and some possibly as the start of a new thread running through it.

The Platinum Years display was a real highlight this year - but for obvious reasons that was obviously a one-off. However, it might inspire future directors to look at new ways of tapping into the demand for a nostalgic element to shows like this.

At its heart, as ever, is agriculture - the county's farming industry. And for most visitors, it is their only chance of the year to see, hear and smell elements of that industry up close.

You might seem cattle in a field or tractors ploughing as you drive along the A14, but until you get up close to them you don't truly appreciate their size and understand their importance to the Suffolk environment.

In a county where the direct connections to the land continue to diminish, that is very important and the fact that somewhere around 75,000 people visited the show is vital in helping to strengthen these links.

Show director Bruce Kerr deserves to be congratulated for orchestrating such a brilliant comeback event - an event that attracted tens of thousands of new visitors as well as regular show-goers.

Normally a director is responsible for three shows, but his first two simply did not happen and apparently there is no mechanism to delay the handover.

However, after talking to him at the show, it is clear that he had a crucial role over the last two years in keeping the Suffolk Agricultural Association and Trinity Park ticking over - and the fact that the show came back so strongly this year is a testament to that hard work.

My only slight regret about the show is that, despite being held only about few hundred metres outside the borough boundary, it seems to do little to bring Suffolk and its county town together.

I really don't think the show organisers should be criticised for that - their job is to provide an entertaining and successful event that they achieved very successfully.

But Ipswich Borough Council and other organisations in the town like Ipswich Central really should see a major event like this on their doorstep as an opportunity to sell themselves to thousands of people who may not be aware of what the town has to offer.

There was a stand extolling the virtues of Bury St Edmunds there.

So why doesn't the borough have a stand showing what's coming on at the Regent, the events in the parks, encouraging visitors from Clare and Beccles to think about coming to Ipswich Music Weekend?

If visitors are prepared to drive for miles to get to Trinity Park for the Suffolk Show, why does the borough not think they may be prepared to make the journey for some of its events?

The same goes for Ipswich Central which runs events in the town throughout the year. Just think of the marketing opportunity to promote the Saints and the Waterfront to the "County Set".

Isn't it about time that the borough and Ipswich Central came together and used some of their promotion budgets to take a really significant stand at the show?

Ipswich Transport Museum has always put on a good show there, but surely the borough could show off the delights of Christchurch Mansion and the town's museum (especially as it's got a big investment coming!)

The Suffolk Show is a fantastic advert for the county as a whole - let's hope that in future that can include showing off the county town as well.