Organisers of the Great Yorkshire Show are putting extra provisions in place to keep animals safe as they prepare to open the gates in high temperatures tomorrow.

The forecast for Tuesday is for temperatures to rise to 23C, down on the highs of 29C set to be seen today.

The rest of the week looks slightly cooler, rising to just 20C on Thursday and Friday, though Wednesday could see 22C with long spells of unbroken sunshine.

The Yorkshire Agricultural Society is putting extra measures in place to ensure animals being shown will be safe in the heat.

A Great Yorkshire Show spokesperson said:

“The welfare of people and animals is of paramount importance to us here at the Great Yorkshire Showground.

“For the animals, we have stewards working across the site, checking their areas and ensuring animals in their sections are well looked after.

“We have increased water provision and Vets are on site 24 hours a day all week to provide support. We encourage anyone experiencing any issues to notify a steward.”

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For visitors, there are some indoor areas to shelter from the sun, including the food hall and the new GYS Stage. The forestry area will also have more shade from the trees.

While there are several outdoor food courts offering refreshments, there are also indoor catering outlets, including the pavilion run by the North Yorkshire West Federation of Women’s Institutes, selling food and drink throughout the day.

The spokesperson added:

“There are extra Yorkshire Water drinking water refill stations across the showground this year and we encourage everyone to keep rehydrated and stay safe in the heat.”

While high temperatures cause extra work for exhibitors, they are unlikely to lead to significant problems for organisers, who have in the past had to deal with other severe weather.

In 2012, the show was closed after just one day because of heavy rain. It left much of the showground slick with mud and resulted in cars having to be towed from the car parks by tractors, leading organisers to call it off early over safety concerns.

It remains the only time the show has been called off because of severe weather in more than 160 years.

A Ripon man has been jailed after pleading guilty to a string of animal welfare offences.

Michael Andrew Hawkswell, 45, of Nunwick near Ripon, appeared at York Magistrates Court on Wednesday, accused of breaching the Animal Welfare Act 2006, which forbids him from keeping animals.

Hawkswell, who is disqualified from keeping or owning animals, was charged with possessing 76 birds and five other offences.

His five other offences included buying and transporting two goats, possessing seven sheep in his trailer, possessing a duck, unloading poultry from a vehicle into sale pens at Highgate auctions in Rotherham and buying and selling poultry.

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Hawkswell was jailed for four weeks to be served consecutively for all six offences and given a further eight weeks for breaching a suspended sentence which was imposed in 2019. 

He was handed a 32-week jail sentence in total.

The court also disqualified Hawkswell from owning or keeping goats, poultry, birds and sheep for a period of 10 years under the Animal Welfare Act.

Police examine crates of poultry after stopping Hawkswell in July last year. Picture: North Yorkshire Police.

Hawkswell was also disqualified from holding or obtaining a driving licence for 16 months.

Speaking after the sentencing, PC Mark Atkinson, of North Yorkshire Police’s rural task force, said:

“Michael Hawkswell knew full well that he wasn’t allowed to have anything to do with animals – with a court order in place to protect them from suffering at his hands.

“However, he has repeatedly shown a blatant disregard for that court order, and persistently breached it on a number of occasions.

“Members of the farming community were aware of Hawkswell’s illegal activity, and came forward with crucial information, allowing us to arrest him and put him before the court. I would like to thank everyone who has spoken to the police in relation to Hawkswell’s activities – your assistance has been so vital and helped our team to put the strongest case together.”

North Yorkshire Police said it would now distribute posters highlighting Hawkswell’s banning order at livestock marts and other rural businesses.

Animal welfare charity the RSPCA tweeted that the sentence showed breaches of court orders “will not be ignored or tolerated”.

Breaches of court ordered disqualification (breach of ban) will not be ignored or tolerated. #teamwork with @NYorksPolice & @RSPCA_official has seen a successful few days in court #AnimalWelfare #farming #livestock #poultry https://t.co/KxpmumFvws

— RSPCA Frontline (@RSPCA_Frontline) September 9, 2021

A Ripon man is to be sentenced next month after pleading guilty to a string of animal welfare offences.

Michael Andrew Hawkswell, 45, of Nunwick near Ripon, appeared at York Magistrates Court on Wednesday, accused of breaching the Animal Welfare Act 2006, which forbids him from keeping animals.

Hawkswell, who is disqualified from keeping or owning animals, has been charged with possessing 76 birds and five other offences.

They include buying and transporting two goats, possessing seven sheep in his trailer, possessing a duck, unloading poultry from a vehicle into sale pens at Highgate auctions in Rotherham and buying and selling poultry.

Hawkswell was remanded on unconditional bail pending a sentencing hearing on September 8.

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A Ripon man disqualified from keeping or owning animals has been charged with possessing 76 birds and a string of other offences.

Michael Andrew Hawkswell, of Nunwick near Ripon, appeared at York Magistrates Court on Monday, accused of breaching the Animal Welfare Act 2006, which forbids him from keeping animals.

Besides possessing the birds, Hawkswell, 45, is charged with five other offences.

They include buying and transporting two goats, possessing seven sheep in his trailer, possessing a duck, unloading poultry from a vehicle into sale pens at Highgate auctions in Rotherham and buying and selling poultry.

Mr Hawkswell was remanded on unconditional bail for a medical or psychiatric report to be prepared.

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