BRITAIN'S oldest agricultural show is setting up on its own showground for the first time.

Wolsingham show has been drawing the crowds in Weardale since 1763 when farmers first gathered to exhibit their cattle.

Over the years it has had three different homes in the village, which have been rented by organisers, but last year the team bought a permanent site.

The new ground will give the show one of the most picturesque venues in the country and is just half-a-mile from its last home.

Show secretary Gordon Dobson said he could not give an exact figure of how much it had cost but in the end it would pay dividends.

People from all over the country are expected to make the journey to Wolsingham this weekend for the three day event, which usually sees around 23,000 visitors.

Last year organisers were thwarted by the foot-and-mouth crisis and had to cancel but this year they are hoping to come back bigger and better than ever.

New livestock restrictions have lowered the numbers for the sheep and cattle classes but a host of entertainment, including a Shetland Pony Derby and Big Pete's Monster Car Crusher, should prove to be real crowd pleasers.