This town in lawless
Ripley Show cancelled due to covid
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Last updated Mar 24, 2021
Ripley Show
Ripley Show. Photograph: Ripley Show, Facebook

The organisers of this year’s Ripley Show have announced it will be cancelled due to the pandemic.

On a post on their website, organisers said despite the roadmap out of lockdown and vaccination numbers offering a positive outlook the “proposed conditions are near impossible to comply with on the show ground”.

The show is organised by Ripley and District Agricultural and Horticultural Show Ltd, it said it had explored every avenue to hold the show but said it had to put the health and safety of visitors first.

The event was set to go ahead on Sunday, August 4. But the committee has said to keep the character of the show visitors have come to love it would not be reasonable to enforce social distancing.

The show was also cancelled in 2020 and is usually held on the Ripley Castle Estate.

The show has been going for over 170 years making it a tough decision for the committee to make. Chairman Michael Smith said:

“The committee and I are deeply disappointed to admit defeat, despite our best efforts. We are proud of our fantastic show and giving our visitors and competitors the experience they have come to know and love over the last 170+ years.

Sadly we can’t guarantee a covid-secure show ground and feel it would be unwise for us to go ahead.”

A date for 2022 has already been set, August 14.

The committee at Ripley Show said it wanted to thank Ripley Castle Estate, our loyal sponsors and volunteers, competitors, trade stands, contractors, spectators and the wider local community for their continued support.

Shows, elsewhere in the district, such as Birstwith, Weeton, Tockwith and Nidderdale are still hoping to go ahead.

Plans for the Great Yorkshire Show are being reviewed regularly. Some of the venue is currently being used as a vaccination centre.


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