Countryside Days - A Great Success
Countryside Days - A Great Success
The fifth annual Countryside Days for children held at the Great Yorkshire Showground
proved as popular as ever with their young visitors.
More than 5,000 children from nearly 100 schools across the region – as far afield
as Hull, Sheffield, York and Catterick – converged on the Harrogate site on Wednesday
21 and Thursday 22 June, to gain a better understanding of agriculture and environmental
issues.
The children enjoyed a range of practical, inter-active and fun activities, including
breadmaking, trying out traditional crafts such as dry stone walling and watching
falconry, sheepdog and sheep-shearing displays. The farm animals in particular
proved to be extremely popular with the young visitors.
Hazel Baker, Education Adviser for the Yorkshire Agricultural Society said: “It’s
been a super two days. We’ve had some wonderful comments – one youngster said:
‘it’s been my dream to fish casting a rod, and that’s one of the things I’ve done
and it was great’; another said: ‘I’ve had the best day ever!’ so not only have
the children learnt a lot, but they’ve had fun, and that’s was exactly what we
wanted to happen.” The event was organised by the Yorkshire Agricultural Society.
Carole Mattison, a teaching assistant at Barkston Ash School near Tadcaster,
said the pupils had a fantastic time: “They’ve all enjoyed themselves very much.
It’s an excellent idea and there’s so much for the children to get involved with.
The day has certainly given them a greater awareness of the countryside and also
how it links with their everyday lives –, for example, learning that chips don’t
originate from a bag from the freezer!
“They loved the horses from Askham Bryan College, and were thrilled to be able
to get up close to creatures such as the owls and little otters.”
The Countryside Days event is just one element of the Yorkshire Agricultural
Society’s support for promoting the importance of learning about the countryside.
So far this year the Society has given £607,000 to supporting the industry, including
research into agricultural-based projects at a number of northern universities
and the Growing Routes initiative, which helps farm-based under 35 year olds start
new businesses.
The Discovery Zone at this year’s Great Yorkshire Show, which takes place from
Tuesday 11 – Thursday 13 July, will also feature hands-on activities for youngsters
to learn more about rural life, under the three headings: the environment, healthy
living and the countryside.
For more information on the Great Yorkshire Show, visit the award-winning website
at www.greatyorkshireshow.org.
Lydia Law and Martha Gibson of Oatlands Junior School,
Harrogate learning more about caring for rabbits at the event
Anna Brooke of Cundall Manor School,
Thirsk enjoying her day at Countryside Days event
Riley Anderson of Holme on Spalding Moor at the event.