Awards, sunshine, Britain’s best livestock and cutting edge agri-technology were all in the mix when the 167th Great Yorkshire Show opened its gates to visitors on the first day of the Show, which runs until Friday.
A record-breaking 150,000 visitors are attending the Show over its four days this year and on day one, TV stars Kelvin and Liz Fletcher joined the Show as celebrity guests. The couple attracted huge audiences for chat shows with TV presenter Christine Talbot at the Ariat GYS Stage where they talked about their life on the family farm, as documented in the popular ITV series Fletchers on the Farm.
Kelvin and Liz visited the Woodcraft section, which has a record 436 entries this year. They both tried their hands at spoon carving under the expert eye of exhibitor Mike Craig, before they took to the Sheep rings to present rosettes, including to class winners Peter and Susanne Addison from Mickleton, Co Durham, with their Zwartbles ewe.
The Show hosts two national livestock shows this year, for Zwartbles sheep today and Charolais cattle tomorrow, with the very best of the breeds from across the UK competing for top honours.
The Zwartbles National Championship went to a shearling ewe owned by Mrs H Jackson from Dumfries, with an ewe from Peter and Susanne Addison in reserve.
The first competitive trophy awarded at the Show was Doncaster Cup for the Best in Show at the Garden Show which went to Harden Clough Nursery of Bolton-by- Bowland in Lancashire.
Ann Rycroft of Harden Clough said:
We came to show the type of garden we can create for everybody. It was a fantastic acknowledgement of the work of the whole team. To come away with a Gold Medal was brilliant but then to win Best Nursery and Best in Show was amazing.
A new plant was also unveiled at the Garden Show this morning. Wacks Wicked Plants chose the Show to launch Sarracenia ‘Yorkshire Sunset’, a plant that has been developed and nurtured at its Malton nurseries over the past 15 years. Full details here. Wicked new plant revealed at Great Yorkshire Show
Entries were up by 140 in the Pigeon section, with nearly 500 birds vying for the Supreme Pigeon title. Chief Steward Keith Robson said the standard was also exceptionally high, with the title going to Sean Morrow of Durham with a four-year-old English Long Faced Tumbler hen.
Sean, who has 800 fancy pigeons, said it was only the second time he had won in 40 years of exhibiting at the Show.
A new Wildfire Response Team which will provide additional assistance in emergency response to wildfires across the northern uplands was at the Show to share its plans. The new charity, supported by the Yorkshire Agricultural Society and North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, was set up following last year’s fires which devastated Langdale Moor on the North York Moors.
The Ridden Hunter championship was won by Robert Walker with Ms J Day’s Full Cry. In reserve was Mrs S Tennant’s Waterfall.
The much-loved Fashion Show returned with twice-daily shows at the Ariat GYS Stage. Models took to the catwalk in examples from eight brands, all of which are available at the Show.
The Innovation Awards showcased some of the very latest technology for agriculture, with the Overall Award going to Bennamann for its scalable solution to upgrade biogas produced on farms into transport grade biomethane fuel. Its Biocycle upgrader can output 140,000kg of biomethane annually, with 1kg being similar to 1l of diesel and can be seen in the Agri-Innovation Village all week.
Bennamann Chief Executive Mike Simpson said:
This is a win for renewable energy in the UK and it really supports the UK strategy towards energy security.
Best Agricultural Trade Stand was won by Lely Center Longtown, which supports farms across the North with robotic solutions.
The RABI/Yorkshire Agricultural Society Outstanding Contribution Award went to a farmer whose work has helped bring greater visibility and understanding to modern farming. Tom Carlisle, known as The Dales Farmer, is a farmer, educator and advocate. Working in the Yorkshire Dales, Tom has built a significant audience by sharing the realities of day-to-day agricultural life, offering an honest and accessible insight into the challenges, responsibilities and rewards of farming.
Rachel Coates, Show Director, said:
We have had a tremendous start to the Show, with so much for visitors to see and experience. We have enjoyed seeing our first winners crowned in classes for everything from pigeons to pigs and we are looking forward to welcoming visitors again tomorrow and for the rest of the week.
