WANING public interest is putting the future of one of the region's oldest agricultural shows in jeopardy.

For more than 160 years, the North Yorkshire Show has been one of the major annual events in the Northallerton area.

But this year's millennium show may have been the last because of falling public interest and an administrative crisis.

A crunch meeting is to be held in the town later this month in an attempt to thrash out a solution - but unless people come forward to take up key posts the future looks bleak.

The problem has partially been brought about by the death of new show secretary Brian Taylor in a car crash.

A market superintendent in Northallerton, he had just over-seen his first show a week before he was killed in a collision with a van in July.

However, no one has come forward to take his place and the show committee is also short on numbers.

Mr Taylor's predecessor, Peter Pybus, filled the role for about 25 years and is currently the acting secretary. He said yesterday: "The cut-off date to prepare for a show in 2001 is the end of September. If we haven't sorted things out by then, we will have to call it off."

He added: "People aren't supporting agricultural shows like they once used to. Things like country houses opening to the public are really giving us competition."

The show dates back to 1841 and was known as the Northallerton Show until the late 1970s, when the name was changed to reflect the town's importance to the county.

It attracts crowds of between 8,000 and 16,000 and has run virtually without a break, although three years ago it had to be called off because of atrocious weather conditions.

The extraordinary show meeting will be held at 8pm on September 28 at the Station Hotel, Northallerton.

Anybody interested in taking over as show secretary, secretary of the light horse section or joining the committee should contact show president Tony Howard on (01609) 772880 or chairman Ralph Pattison on (01609) 882322.