Show Beats the Odds to Record Another Great Year

Organisers of the 2007 Great Yorkshire Show are delighted to have staged another hugely successful event, in spite of the wettest June making the efficient build up a major challenge.
 
Apart from a brief shower on the final day of the show, the rain stayed away and visitors flocked in their tens of thousands to the Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate to enjoy the region’s largest annual farm and country event.
 
The Yorkshire Agricultural Society announced today (Friday) an attendance figure of 122,042 – 9.7% down on last year’s record breaking total of 135,111. More competitive entries than ever before had already made it a record breaker.
 
Show Director Bill Cowling said: “We have had another fantastic Show and are delighted to have maintained the extremely high standards for which we are renowned. This was in spite of facing the most difficult weather in the show’s history prior to the event. The highest June rainfall on record presented us with major challenges, particularly in preparing the car parks but our contingency plans stood us in good stead and worked well. In addition we were delighted that so many visitors took our advice and used public transport. This is something we will certainly be building on in future years.”  Early figures indicate useage of the train and shuttle buses was up 40% on previous years.
 
Work has already begun on the Society’s next event, Countryside Live, which takes place on Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 October, and the 2008 Great Yorkshire Show, which will be the 150th, and runs from Tuesday 8 – Thursday 10 July.
 
Among the many attractions enjoyed by the crowds were The White Helmets Motorcycle Display Team, hundreds of trade stands and superb demonstrations of agricultural skills.
 
The Ripon Select Foods Cock O’ The North Show Jumping Championship was a hotly contested battle, with brothers John and Michael Whittaker both making it through to the final jump-off. It was Michael, however, on Quidam des Hayettes, who finally took the £7,000 first prize.
 
In the cattle classes, this year’s Supreme Beef Championship was won by Sauvignon, a six-year-old French-bred Limousin bull owned by Raymond and Stephen Crawford of Co. Fermanagh. The bull was already a major prize winner having taken the Championship at the Paris Show. 
 
The Supreme Dairy title was won by an Ayrshire cow, Haresfoot Pamela 5, shown by Kathryn Alderson of Scorton Road Farm, South Cowton, Northallerton.
 
For the second successive year, the BPA Pig of the Year Award was won by Steve Loveless of Bridport, Dorset, with a Large White boar named Port Berdy Prince 1518. The Supreme Sheep champion was shown by William Thompson of Hownam Grange, Kelso, on his fourth visit to Harrogate. His North Country Cheviot ewe took the honours from a record entry of more than 2,000 sheep representing 35 different breeds.
 
The Cuddy Supreme In Hand trophy – for the supreme light horse or pony in-hand champion of the year -  was taken by Messrs Charles Upham and Stephen Davey of Devon with a brood mare, Euphoria, a former Horse of the Year show winner.
 
The Flower Show saw a stunning array of displays, including a fabulous exhibit by the Amateur Rose Breeders’ Association, who joined forces with the Yorkshire Rosarians. The Millennium Best in Show Award went to the National Farmers’ Union, for a stunning horticultural exhibition featuring a superb array of vegetables and produce.
 
The prestigious Tye Trophy - organised for the first time by the Yorkshire Agricultural Society and FWAG (the Farming and Wildlife Group) – attracted entries from across the region and the championship was taken by Mr John Carr-Ellison of Hedgley Hall, Powburn, near Alnwick, Northumberland. He was presented with his award by the Society’s President, Mr Michael Abrahams.
 
Another major feature of the Show was the ever-popular Skipton Building Society Fashion Pavilion, where four fashion shows each day saw innovative and stunning designs paraded on the catwalk. Also featured were the designs by the six short-listed finalists in Yorkshire Fashion Idol 2007, with the winner, Phoebe Woods-Johnston of York, awarded her prize by the Society’s Chief Executive, Nigel Pulling. On Tuesday, the Designer of the Day Award went to Della Skinner of Halifax and, and on Wednesday, to Bradford’s Katie Bishop.