Great Yorkshire Show - Media Centre

The annual farming and countryside showcase is now the premier agricultural show in England which every year attracts more than 12,000 entries across the competitive classes – cattle, show jumping, pigs, sheep shearing… to name but a few.

Honorary Show Director Bill Cowling said: “The popularity and reputation of the show is based on its commitment to staying true to its farming roots, whilst ensuring it is innovative and has plenty to attract the general visitor. So whether your interest lies in farming, fashion, food or flowers, there will be plenty to entertain and inform.”

Attractions this year include:

• Bolddog Lings Motorcycle Display Team
• Top class show jumping and equine classes
• Food Hall with the region’s best food & drink
• New-look Garden Show
• The Gurkha Band
• New Innovation Centre
• Fashion shows
• Cookery theatres
• New equine classes
• International sheep shearing competitions
• Demonstrations of country skills – dry stone walling, fly fishing, gundog training
• Hundreds of stands for plenty of shopping!

…. and more than 5,000 of Britain’s best cattle, sheep and pigs competing for the coveted championship awards.

The Great Yorkshire Show is organised by the Yorkshire Agricultural Society.

Tickets are available from Monday 1 March 2010, either on line – go to www.greatyorkshireshow.co.uk or call 01423 541222. Parking is free and extensive.

Tickets bought in advance                             Tickets bought on the gate

Adult:                     £18                                             Adult                            £21

Concession:       £17                                             Concession:              £20                             

Children:             £8                                               Children:                      £10

Family:                 £47                                             Family:                        £55

Gates open at 7.30am and close at 7.30pm on Tuesday and Wednesday and 6.30pm on Thursday.

Countryside Live, Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 October 2010

The 8^th Countryside Live event will take place on Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 October 2010 at the Great Yorkshire Showground, Harrogate. The event will include competitive livestock classes, equine master classes and competitive section, horticultural show, and cookery theatre and dozens of stands. The 2009 event attracted more than 10,000 visitors.

See also www.countrysidelive.co.uk 

A total of 130,731 visitors came through the gates for the annual showcase of farming and country life held at the Great Yorkshire Showground, Harrogate. The 2008 attendance figure was 126,376 and the record stands at 135,111 established in 2006.

Honorary Show Director Bill Cowling said: “We are absolutely delighted with the figures and for the wonderful support we’ve received from both our exhibitors and visitors. Our aim is to present an event which not only gives the farming industry a platform for its customers, but a super day out for all. The attendance figures and our record entries are a testament to that commitment.

 Farming continues to be a roller coaster industry but it’s vital that we celebrate what is best about British agriculture and rural life and that is what the Great Yorkshire Show is all about. We have already begun the planning for next year’s show, which runs from Tuesday 13 to Thursday 15 July”

Yesterday (Thurs 16 July) the Main Ring was the setting for the traditional handover ceremony for the Society’s new President when Michael Bannister handed over the crook of office to his successor, Richard Elmhirst of Worsbrough, Barnsley, South Yorkshire. Sir Ken Morrison, Honorary President of Wm Morrison Supermarkets, becomes President-Elect for 2010-2011.

Among the many attractions at the show were thousands of cattle, sheep, pigs and horses, the 68-foot Hull and Humber Clipper yacht brought by Welcome to Yorkshire, miles of shopping at the hundreds of stands, and superb cookery demonstrations by top chefs including television’s Taste the Nation winner, Rosemary Shrager.

The Ripon Select Foods Cock o’ the North Showjumping Championship was a hotly contested battle, with Hickstead Derby winner William Funnell and Cortaflex Mondriaan snatching victory from Yorkshireman Paul Barker on Temple Ryefield, taking the £7,000 prize and the Perpetual Silver Challenge Trophy.

In the cattle classes, a 700-mile round trip paid off for Scottish Galloway breeder William MacLean, when he won the Supreme Beef Championship with his bull Blackcraig Kodiak. The Supreme Dairy title was taken by a Jersey cow, Hillside Laser’s Ann, shown by Adrian Harrison of Manor Farm, Thornton Rust, Leyburn.

A British Saddleback pig won the BPA Pig of the Year Award, with a September-born gilt from partners William Edwards and Amanda Thomas of Newbridge, Gwent, South Wales. The Supreme Sheep champion was shown by Gloucestershire prime sheep supremo Andrew Bishop with a Beltex ewe lamb.

Taking the Cuddy Supreme In Hand Championship was ten-year-old bay brood mare Rotherwood Flamenco, from the Stanley Grange Stud, Newton Aycliffe. Reserve Champion went to Merrigans Legacy, a three-year-old skewbald colt owned by Claire and Glen Merrigan Martin of Borrowby, Thirsk, North Yorkshire.

The Flower Show saw a stunning array of displays, with the coveted Doncaster Agricultural Society’s Perpetual Gold Cup going to the National Farmers’ Union yet again. This is the third year in a row the organisation has won the Best Exhibit in Show award. Scooping the Supreme Champion honours in the Cheese & Dairy Show was Belton Cheese Limited of Whitchurch, Shropshire, with a superb Double Gloucester.

The prestigious Tye Trophy, organised by the Yorkshire Agricultural Society and the Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group, was won by Beal Farm in Northumberland, a 1,000 acre arable farm run by Rodney Smith.

Another major attraction at the Show was the popular Skipton Building Society Fashion Pavilion, which on Tuesday (14 July) hosted the first Model Young Farmer competition. The seven contenders took to the catwalk in designer wear from Paul Smith and retro Vivienne Westwood. The winner was 25-year-old Jimmy Atkinson of Crook, Co Durham.

Preparations are well underway for the Society’s autumn event, Countryside Live which is generously sponsored by Change4Life, and takes place on Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 October, 2009.

The 152^nd Great Yorkshire Show runs from Tuesday 13 – Thursday 15 July 2010.

Ayrshire

The Ayrshire champion at The Great Yorkshire Show this week (July 14-16) went to David and Christine Sanderson of Thackthwaite Hall, Westward, near Wigton in Cumbria.

The couple’s rising five year old cow Sanderson Buntie calved on April 24 and has been yielding 44.7kg a day. She is by Stbvq Rubens and out of Waxhall Buntie 213.

Beef Shorthorn

Leading the Beef Shorthorn lines was the three year old cow Pode Hole Madeleine Zeta.

Zeta was shown with her January-born calf at foot by Charles and Sally Horrell and their son Harry, of Pode Hole, Thorney, Peterborough.

By Wenmar Madeleine by Chapelton Promoter, she was Interbreed champion at Rutland and reserve interbreed champion at Peterborough earlier in the season. Both her dam and sire have had success in the show ring – promoter won the Royal twice.

British Blonde

Champion British Blonde was shown by Ken Jackson of Stubbs Walden, Doncaster.

The two and a half year old bull Hallmark Boxter was bred by Alan Hall, of Preston Tillery, Darlington who was pipped into reserve slot for the breed with a three and a half year old heifer out of the same cow

The bull was bought for Mr Jackson’s 40-cow Stubbswalden herd from Mr Hall as a calf and is out of Stocksfield Imagination and by Whistley Dollar.

Commercial Beef

Leading the commercial beef classes was cattle showman Neil Slack, of Plum Tree House, Newby, Penrith.

Sidewalk Sally was bought in March at Penrith market from W Richardson, Ghyll House, Dufton, for £13,000 when it was champion at the sale.

The year old heifer, which was also Northumberland County Show commercial and reserve interbreed beef champion, is by the British Blue bull Auchenlay Vagabond out of a Limousin cross British Blue commercial cow.

Mr Slack has a half share in the heifer with his niece and nephew, Elizabeth and Bradley Haughton, of Culgaith, near Penrith.

Holstein

The Holstein champion and reserve dairy interbreed champion went to Ed Seaton, attending the event for the first time from Market Drayton in Shropshire.

Ternbridge Rosaland 90 was bought from Tim and Brenda Preston’s herd dispersal in September 2008 for 3,600gns Styche herd of 200 Holsteins run by Ed his father Peter, uncle John and brother James.

She calved her third, a heifer in December and is projected to give 13,000 litres after her first lacatation of 12,500 litres.

The Roylane Jordan daughter was interbreed dairy champion at the Western Holstein Show, Staffordshire County and Shropshire and West Midlands Shows earlier this year.

Limousin

Dynamite Limousins lifted the breed championship and the reserve interbreed beef honours at the show.

The five year old bull Greenhill Viper from the herd run by David Cormack and partner Gaynor McDowell at Sunnyside Farm, Billesdon, Leicestershire was sired by Nenuphar and out of Nana.

First calves by the bull, which was also the breed male champion at the show, averaged £4,630 for six heifers sold at the Newstart dispersal sale in Carlisle in February 2008 while six bulls averaged £2,300.

Lincoln Red

Topping the Lincoln Red lines was Mick Needler, of Ranby Grange, Market Rasen, Lincolnshire. Walmer Lobelia, shown with her calf at foot, is from one of the herd’s most successful show families.

The cow’s full brother from the 80-cow Walmer herd run on the 700 acre principally arable unit was breed champion at the Great Yorkshire three years running.

Longhorn

Father and son David and Graham Walker led the Longhorn classes – a first for them at The Great Yorkshire Show with their bull Newton Storm.

The 18 month old home-bred bull by Blackbrook Nimrod out of Elthouns Geraldine is part of the herd run by the Walkers alongside commercial cows on their arable unit at Huby, York.

Saler

It was a double win among the sheep and the cattle for Farmstock Genetics, of Over Whitlaw Farm, Selkirk. Winning the Saler championship was the five year old new stock bull for the 120 cow pedigree Saler herd.

Bought from France where he was champion at the Paris Show in February, Vallant, weighing in at one and a half tonnes, was also breed champion at the Royal Show.

Farmstock Genetics also won the Lleyn championship with its three year old bought in stock ram.

South Devon

Market Drayton South Devon cattle breeder Malcolm Broome won his third breed championship of the season with show cow Welland Valley Adora 2

The Great Yorkshire was the sixth event and Adora had also won five female championships for the 180-cow pedigree herd at Manor Farm, Thorpe Langton, Market Drayton.

The five year old cow with her March born bull calf at foot is by Juniper Ajax out of Welland Valley Adora 1.

Hillside Laser’s Ann was shown by Adrian Harrison, of Manor Farm, Thornton Rust, Leyburn.

The cow which produced her second calf in June and is giving 31 litres a day after a first lactation of just under 4,000 litres, is from Mr Harrison’s herd of 130 milkers.

She is bred from two generations of Excellent cows and her family originated from the Dalbys’ Brinmoor herd at Brimham Rocks near Harrogate. She was junior breed and interbreed champion. 

The competition, sponsored by Cranborne Estate, was won by a British Saddleback gilt from partners William Edwards and Amanda Thomas from Newbridge, Gwent, South Wales. Lord Halifax, representing the Cranborne Estate, presented the prizes.

The September-born gilt selected by judge Steve Loveless, of Bridport, is one of a handful of pigs kept as a hobby at Pantyscawen Farm where the main enterprise is arable. She qualified for the competition at the Bath and West Show.

Reserve went to a British Saddleback boar from the Newth family who run four different breeds of pig at Manor Farm, Shepton Mallet, Somerset.

The September 2008 born boar qualified at the Devon County Show for the Newth show team – Julian and daughter Alice and brother William were at Harrogate while eldest son James stayed at home to milk the 130 dairy cows and look after the sheep.

A regular winner at the top primestock shows, Mr Bishop, of Pitfield Farm, Eldersfield, was making his debut at Harrogate with the home-bred ewe lamb, Luggsmill Lainey, which will be sold at the Beltex Society sale in Lanark in August.

Previously show champions at the Royal and the Three Counties shows, the lamb is from Mr Bishop’s flock of 100 pedigree Beltex females which he runs alongside up to 600 pure Beltexes to produce sheep for carcase competitions.

A wether lamb of the same breeding was the carcase champion at the Royal Show weighing 32 kg liveweight and killing out at 61 per cent.

The Supreme Beef Championship was taken by Blackcraig Kodiac, a Galloway owned by Mr William MacLean of Oban, Argyll.

The 6 year old bull had also taken the Supreme title at last month’s Royal Highland Show.

Jimmy, whose home is in Crook, took first prize in the contest which saw the seven hopefuls take to the catwalk modelling Paul Smith and retro Vivienne Westwood.

The contest took place in the Skipton Building Society Fashion Pavilion on the first day of the Great Yorkshire Show.

The display featured two gardens representing summer and winter alongside a variety of cut produce, flowers and herbs.

The trophy was presented to Graham Ward of the NFU.

Reserve went to Cropwell Bishop Creamery of Nottingham with the Best Yorkshire Product awarded to Longley Farm (Tyres Hall) Huddersfield.

Sir Ken Morrison presented the awards.