England’s most popular country show the Great Yorkshire kicks off this week with 140,000 people due and all tickets sold out.
The event in Harrogate brings together leaders of food, farming, agriculture and the countryside with experts, enthusiasts and supporters from all over the world descending on the region. It’s the 163rd show and is now being held over four days until Friday, July 15.
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Farming celebrities will be appearing including TV host Matt Baker, Yorkshire Shepherdess Amanda Owen, Countryfile presenter Adam Henson, Peter Wright from the Yorkshire Vet and JB Gill from boy band JLS who is now renowned as a turkey and pork breeder and star of CBeebies down on the farm.
This year there are also two cattle world congresses, for the Charolais and the Shorthorn Breed, with farmers from all over the globe gathering to see and exhibit the best in the business and exchange ideas.
The Princess Royal will be attending on Tuesday as Patron of the Shorthorn society which is celebrating its 200th. Anniversary. The show was cancelled during the pandemic but was staged last year with restrictions.
Charles Mills, Great Yorkshire Show Director, said: “We are expecting a truly exciting four-day show which will have terrific competition with some of the best animals in the country as well as plenty of entertainment for families.
“Every year we try to make sure that the show continues to grow and attract visitors and stay relevant, and we think that this year will be the biggest and best yet.”
For the first time ever, the show is staging sheepdog trials twice a day in the Main Ring, with competitors from across the UK taking part. Sadly there will be no poultry at the show with classes cancelled because of ongoing restrictions to prevent the spread of bird flu.
Competitors in the show's renowned Cheese and Dairy section are mourning former Chief Steward Judy Bell from Thirsk who died earlier this year. Her daughter Caroline who with her sister Katie helps run the family's famous Shepherds Purse Cheese in Thirsk, and who assisted Judy at the show is stepping into her shoes. She said: “I’m sure we will discover a lot that mum did that we don’t know she did, but the whole team behind the show is committed to making it happen for the farmers, the cheesemakers and the dairy industry.”
While people without tickets will not be able to get into the show a three-part series dedicated to it is being made by Channel 5, which will be aired from Wednesday, July 13 with a 90 minute highlights package at the weekend.
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