Harrogate’s Great Yorkshire Show to remain four-day event

The Great Yorkshire Show in Harrogate is to remain a four-day event next year.

Event organisers Yorkshire Agricultural Society confirmed today next year’s show will be held from July 12 to July 15.

The event was first held over four days for the first time ever this year in order to comply with covid regulations.

It meant a significantly reduced capacity each day but the format proved popular with tickets selling out. Prince Charles paid a surprise visit in glorious sunshine.

Next year’s show will follow the same measures, including limits on attendance and tickets being purchased in advance.

Read more:

The daily programme of events will be finalised early next year.

Nigel Pulling, chief executive of the society said: 

“The pandemic forced us to change the way we did things at the show and there was not one section of the Great Yorkshire Show that was unchanged. This pressed a reset button on our whole operations and some of these changes were so successful, they are here to stay.

“Spreading the event over four days was met with an overwhelmingly positive response from our exhibitors, visitors and staff. Visitors felt that more space to navigate the showground made their whole show experience more enjoyable, while for exhibitors, four days and shorter hours meant they felt less pressurised.”

Tickets will be on sale from November 1.

Yorkshire Agricultural Society chief executive to retire in March

The chief executive of Yorkshire Agricultural Society is set to retire after 20 years in charge.

Nigel Pulling will step down from his role in March 2022.

Mr Pulling joined the society in 2001, when the Great Yorkshire Show was cancelled due to the foot and mouth disease outbreak.

It was the first time show had been cancelled other than for the two world wars. The show was then also cancelled after one day in 2012 due to torrential rain and didn’t take place at all last year due to covid.

Mr Pulling has overseen commercial projects such as the building of Fodder, the Regional Agricultural Centre (the society’s headquarters) and the multi-million pound rebuild of hall one in the Yorkshire Event Centre.

This year, he oversaw the Great Yorkshire Show return amid the covid pandemic. Prince Charles was among the guests at this year’s four-day event.

Mr Pulling said there were similarities between the event and the show held in 2002.

He said:

“We overcame the tough challenges on both occasions to deliver successful Great Yorkshire Shows and I couldn’t have ended my tenure on a better show.

“We were devastated to cancel last year and despite the challenges and restrictions placed on this year’s event, it was an incredible achievement for the team. The atmosphere of celebration and enjoyment from both the farming community and visitors was second to none.”

Read more:

Mr Pulling added:

“I leave my role on a high, the Great Yorkshire Show is in a strong position ready for next year. 

“Events are returning to the showground after this difficult 18 months, the charitable activities team is stronger than ever before in its support for farming families and promotion of agriculture to the next generation – and I know it will go from strength to strength.”

Rob Copley, chairman of trustees said: 

“Nigel has been a real asset, he is hugely respected in the industry and his leadership has taken the society up to the next level.

“On behalf of all the trustee and council members past and present I want to thank him for all his hard work, determination and expertise.”

Emotional Harrogate reunion for Puss the cat and her Scottish owners

Puss the cat, who escaped from the Great Yorkshire Show after sneaking into a Scottish farmer’s sheep trailer, was reunited with her tearful and relieved owners this morning.

Farmer David Mitchell and his wife Annette drove 200 miles from East Ayrshire to collect the intrepid moggy who they feared was lost forever.

Mr Mitchell arrived at the showground on Wednesday last week to show sheep. When he opened the trailer, Puss bolted and disappeared. He then had to return to Scotland to tend to his farm.

When news broke that the cat was missing, The Stray Ferret appealed for information to find Puss.

David’s wife Annette even came back to Harrogate last week to look for her but had no success.

Read more:

Puss found refuge, and food, at a house in the Crimple Valley a few days ago. The cuddly and friendly feline was well looked after during her Harrogate sojourn,

The Mitchells drove south this morning to collect Puss, who was purring on the lap of Helen McCallum, a volunteer at Harrogate Cat Rescue.

When the couple arrived, there were tears and thanks to the people of Harrogate for looking after their treasured family pet.

Ms Mitchell said:

“It’s just amazing, so it is. It’s a great team of folk down here looking out for other people’s animals.”

Stray Ferret videos of Prince Charles in Harrogate get 200,000 views

Exactly one week ago, Prince Charles and Camilla were in Harrogate to attend the Great Yorkshire Show.

The enduring appeal of the royal family has been highlighted by the fact that two Stray Ferret videos of their visit have been viewed almost 200,000 times.

We were live at the Great Yorkshire Show last Thursday to capture the couple’s arrival.

The clip, filmed live on Facebook, showed The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall happily chatting to exhibitors and the public as they made their way around the showground. It has currently received 92,000 views.

Another video of the royals leaving The Stray via helicopter has proved even more popular, having been viewed 107,000 times.

Their departure coincided with the end of the school day at about 3.45pm and scores of St Aidan’s Church of England High School pupils waved them off.

The videos have been enjoyed across the world and even shared by people in countries including Thailand, Algeria and Denmark.

Did you meet Charles or Camilla during their trip to the show? Email contact@thestrayferret.co.uk

Read More: 

 

Cat from Scotland hitches a ride to Great Yorkshire Show and goes missing

An intrepid cat from Scotland sneaked inside the sheep trailer of a farmer visiting the Great Yorkshire Show — but escaped and is now missing on the showground site.

David Mitchell, who was showing sheep at the show, arrived in Harrogate on Wednesday after driving over 200 miles. When he opened the trailer, the cat bolted and disappeared.

He tried looking for the cat, named Puss, but had to return to Scotland on Friday without her to tend to his farm in East Ayreshire. He subsequently posted an appeal on Facebook.

There has been a sighting of the black and white feline around the old viaduct but the animal is believed to be frightened and hungry.

Read more:

Helen McCallum, a volunteer at Harrogate Cat Rescue, told the Stray Ferret that she had asked staff at the showground to put a plan in place to catch the missing moggy.

She said she’s spoken to the farmer, who is “very worried” about Puss.

She added:

“It might be a mouser but I don’t know whether it knows how to hunt. It needs food.”

Have you seen Puss? Contact Helen on 07845 755405.

Stray Kitchen: Game on at the Great Yorkshire Show

Stray Kitchen is our column all about food written by renowned local produce expert, food writer and chef, Stephanie Moon. Stephanie is a champion of food produced in the UK and particularly in Yorkshire and the Harrogate district. 

Great Yorkshire Show time always makes me smile – the whole county gets into a spin and excited about it… and in my book, rightly so!

With my staff pass and negative lateral flow band attached, it was time to enter the ground, trolley brimming with goodies of the catering variety, pots, pans, plates, ingredients, and a veritable larder ready for those “oh Steph have you got any…” moments (as chefs doing cookery demonstrations tend to forget something). As you can imagine, when you are in the ground it is too late to go back to your kitchens and collect it.. I was MCing the Game Cookery Theatre where local chefs inspire the audience to give Yorkshire game a try – many for the first time.

Walking to the Game Cookery Theatre, seeing friends and feeling like the show really ‘must go on’, it was amazing to be back at the hallowed ground! All those hours of prepping for the show with Michelle Mackey and the rest of The Great Yorkshire Show team were condensed into just four days.

I love the show, and always have. I remember as a young girl having a day away from the farm with my parents for a trip to the show. It was a real treat and the wide-eyed wonderment of the show is so memorable for me. From the animals and food to always getting free pens and stickers from farm machinery and feed suppliers, and loving going around seeing the sights, we really had a grand day out. I even smile at remembering the collective family groaning when Dad would say we had to “just go in here for a cup of tea” – and we kids sat legs swinging on benches as my Dad talked cows feed with a specialist.. Then my turn, as I begged for a trip to the food hall!

These days I love the Great Yorkshire Show for different reasons – the people, the food, catching up with clients and good friends, the camaraderie of delivering a belting show, and the proper Yorkshire gumption of getting through these tricky times with true grit and a smile.

There is a feeling of celebration – it is great to be out and great to be doing!

I am proud to help run the Game Cookery Theatre for the show with a super team of chefs and game specialists and under the watchful eye of Daphne the Chief Steward of Country Pursuits. This year we had Mehdi and Heather from Fodder cooking up Yorkshire Puddings with Anita Rani, and some stand out chef demos with the likes of Callum Bowmer from Horto at Rudding Park, John Rudden from Grassington House, the Coniston Hotel boys Chris Oakden and Jonny Purnell from Skipton, and another Skipton and Ilkley favourite Simon Miller from La Casita.

Together we cooked up up some stunning great Yorkshire game with a lot of cheeky banter.

Steph x

Read More: 

 

WATCH: The best bits of the Great Yorkshire Show 2021

The Stray Ferret coverage of the Great Yorkshire Show was brought to you by Lister Haigh.  

 

The 163rd Great Yorkshire Show was like no other year and the Stray Ferret was there with Lister Haigh to capture each of the four days.

The sun shone on award-winning goats, we sampled delicious local food and drink, and we were front row for a surprise Royal visit when the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall attended on Thursday.

Watch our best bits below:

 

IMAGE GALLERY: It’s a scorcher at the final day of the Great Yorkshire Show

The organisers couldn’t have wished for better weather — on the final day of the Great Yorkshire Show it’s been 26 celsius. The cows needed hosing down and the crowds needed ice cream.. here’s a flavour of the day..

Read More: 

Andrew Jones calls for long-term support for ‘severely impacted’ Harrogate events sector

Conservative MP for Harrogate & Knaresborough, Andrew Jones, has called for long-term support for the events sector, which he said has been “severely impacted” by covid in Harrogate.

Speaking in the House of Commons yesterday, Mr Jones said it was “fantastic to see” the Great Yorkshire Show taking place this week but warned that the events industry will take some time to get back on its feet.

He mentioned Harrogate International Festivals, which is due to host the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival next week. The charity’s chief executive Sharon Canavar told the Stray Ferret last month she has had to make some “nerve-wracking” decisions due to uncertainty over when restrictions will be eased.

Mr Jones said:

“There are other important events and event organisations, such as Harrogate International Festivals, that have been severely impacted.

“I am aware that we have talked about this sector before, but events and circumstances are evolving, so could we have please a further debate on long-term support for the events industry? It adds so much to the quality of life in the United Kingdom and it may need extra help in the future.”

Read more:

Leader of the House Jacob Rees-Mogg responded by saying that the Harrogate Convention Centre is to host two test pilot events for conferences next week, which will help inform how the sector moves forward.

He added:

“The government know how badly the sector has been hit by the pandemic and will continue to encourage and engage with people to monitor the situation and try to support a recovery plan.

“I accept that this will be a longer-term effort, but I think that beginning to get back to normal from Monday will begin to be helpful.”

Back in February, Mr Jones also called for a debate on the sector which he said was “central to the economy” of both Harrogate and Knaresborough.

GALLERY: A right royal day at Harrogate’s Great Yorkshire Show

Prince Charles and Camilla joined the sell-out crowd at the Great Yorkshire Show today.

The royal couple arrived at lunchtime on day three and were greeted by hundreds of visitors at the gate.

Charles spent time inspecting sheep, while the Duchess of Cornwall visited the children’s discovery zone.

Both also took time out to speak with the many visitors and exhibitors at this year’s event.

Here are some photo highlights of Harrogate’s royal day.

Read More: 

 

Prince Charles and Camilla at GYS