This story is sponsored by Harrogate BID.

A Harrogate caterer who has served a number of royals celebrated his 60th birthday and 21 years of catering at the Great Yorkshire Show yesterday.

Ian King, owner of King’s Catering, founded the company with his wife 27 years ago and, for 21 of those, has served thousands of people every day when the annual show takes place.

The traditional royal visit means Mr King has prepared meals for King Charles III, Princess Anne, and the late Queen Elizabeth II.

He said the current monarch “loves smoked salmon sandwiches and loose Earl Grey tea”, while his sister “always asks for ginger beer”.

Monarchs are provided with a checklist to indicate their likes and dislikes ahead of the show and, said Mr King, only request “the use of local produce”.

The company initially served canapes at the agricultural show but took on the challenge of catering for the entire show in 2012.

That same year, the show was rained off after just the first day. With heaps of leftover stock and a heavy heart, it’s fair to say Mr King described this as his least favourite memory of the show…

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The Great Yorkshire Show generates “10% of the company’s annual turnover”, according to Mr King, and is “the busiest and biggest week of the year.”

He said covid was a “very cruel” time for the company but added:

“We’re back and we’re bigger and stronger than ever. This show is what we work towards all year.

“Providing breakfast on the first day goes well the rest of the show is plain sailing!”

Mr King arrives at the showground at 4am each day during show week to prepare and said “the camaraderie of it all makes it so enjoyable”.

This year, the caterer spent his milestone 60th birthday cooking up a storm for the Duke of Gloucester – and thousands of other show attendees.

Find more information on King’s Catering here.

This story is sponsored by Harrogate BID.

A royal visit, a new fashion show and two national cattle championships were among the highlights of day one of the Great Yorkshire Show.

The Duke of Gloucester was taken on a tour by show director Charles Mills and Lord Lieutenant of North Yorkshire Jo Ropner.

Despite the downpour, spirits remained high and the annual show is in full swing.

Thousands gathered to eat, drink, compete, and observe as celebrities were spotted and trophies were won.

Industry leaders and MPs on the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee discussed species reintroductions across the country, while TV star Adam Henson led a talk on the challenges faced and opportunities available in farming.

The Yorkshire Pelargonium and Geranium Society took home the first competitive cup of the show for the best exhibit in the garden show, and the President’s Award of the Curzon-Howe Rosebowl went to Harrogate’s very own Horticap.

In the sheep rings, two new breeds, the Badgerface Texel and Castlemilk Moorits, were competing, while next door the shearing stage saw the new Sheep to Chic Fashion Show, featuring the best of British wool garments worn by professional models and volunteers from the rural community.

Tickets for the show have now sold out. Tickets will not be available on the gate. The opening times are 8am to 6pm on all four days. To see what is happening on which day, visit here.

You can relive more day one highlights here. Below is a gallery.

Sheep young handler Benjamin Brook, aged 5. 

Winners of the Doncaster Cup: The Yorkshire Pelargonium and Geranium Society

TV star Adam Henson

Cheese judging. Pic: GYS website.

TV personality Amy Garcia and weatherman Paul Hudson preparing for the pole climb. Pic: GYS website.

Keep an eye on our website or on social media for daily updates at The Great Yorkshire Show.

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A large horse sculpture has been delivered to the Great Yorkshire Showground.

The art work is made out of more than 600 welded horseshoes, collected from across Yorkshire.

The 750-kilogram piece is named ‘Os II’ after the Yorkshire slang word for horse and was craned into position outside the Yorkshire Event Centre today.

Its creator, Ollie Holman is a thirty-one-year-old artist from North Yorkshire, who has been welding since he was a teenager.

‘Os II’ will be displayed next to the Yorkshire Show’s art show from Tuesday, July 11 to Friday, July 14 along with some of Ollie’s other sculptures.

The sculptor cannot wait to see his work displayed at the event and said:

“I hope it stops people in their tracks and creates a big crowd around it. It will be nice to see people’s reactions,”

“The driving force behind this one was to improve myself as an artist and really capture the raw physical power of the horse in more detail. I layered up the horseshoes to give it that sense of power.

Ollie has made many horse sculptures, including another 12-foot piece which was sold to Cheltenham Race Course, but he is especially proud of his latest creation, which took five years to make.

Charles Mills, Director of the Great Yorkshire Show added:

“Ollie’s sculpture is a true epic that I have no doubt will turn heads at the Great Yorkshire Show.

“We are proud of the high-quality equestrian classes we have at the Show each year, so this is a very fitting sculpture to have in such a prominent position on the Showground.”

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The managing director of Harrogate’s Yorkshire Events Centre has stepped down after 30 years in post.

Heather Parry was credited with creating Fodder shop and cafe at the Great Yorkshire Showground in 2009 and overseeing the multi-million pound refurbishment of the events centre in 2016.

She joined the events centre after working in London at Earls Court Exhibition Centre.

Ms Parry was soon promoted to managing director of the commercial arm of the showground, overseeing the Pavilions of Harrogate and the Yorkshire Event Centre.

She also led the transformation of a disused area on the showground into what is now the Harrogate Caravan Park, with 67 pitches for caravans, motorhomes and tents.

On her decision to step down, she said:

“I am so proud of the things that have been achieved working with an amazing team.  When I arrived the income from activities outside the Great Yorkshire Show was £40,000 so we have come a long way to the current £7m.  There have been so many highs: from welcoming President Bill Clinton and Sir Elton John, among many others, to creating Fodder and building Hall 1.  

“My career here has been wonderfully diverse; with people at the heart of it all; I feel so lucky to have worked with a myriad of clients, dedicated suppliers and a phenomenal team who have been a joy to nurture and develop.  After 30 years it is now time to hand the baton on and seek new adventures.”

Allister Nixon, chief executive of the Yorkshire Events Centre, said: 

“Heather has had a huge impact on the business, being instrumental in shaping and forming what we are today with vision and sheer hard work. Heather will leave an amazing legacy to be proud of.

“She has been part of the fabric of the society for so many years and I would like to take this opportunity to personally thank Heather for her hard work, dedication and significant contributions and wish her the very best in her future endeavours.”

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This year’s royal visitor to the Great Yorkshire Show will be the Duke of Gloucester, organisers have revealed.

The duke, who is a first cousin to the late Queen Elizabeth II, will make his first visit to England’s biggest agricultural show on its first day, Tuesday, July 11.

In 2021, King Charles III and The Queen Consort visited and last year it was the turn of Princess Anne, The Princess Royal.

The duke will be taken on a tour of the livestock and exhibits with show director Charles Mill and lord-lieutenant of North Yorkshire Jo Ropner.

Mr Mills said:

“We are delighted to welcome the Duke of Gloucester to the Great Yorkshire Show for the first time and look forward to showing him some of the highlights including horses, cattle and the latest in farming technology.”

Also attending on Tuesday will be some of the industry’s top-level leaders with MPs on the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee.

The chair of the cross-party environment, food and rural affairs committee, Sir Robert Goodwill MP, and committee members will launch a report on the merits and risks involved in species reintroductions in England.

TV presenter Adam Henson will then chair a discussion on the challenges and opportunities for the farming sector.

He will be joined on stage by: Minette Batters, president of the National Farmers’ Union; Mark Spencer, a minister in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and Sir Robert Goodwill.

The show will run from Tuesday, July 11 to Friday, July 14.

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It’s time to join the Stray Ferret Business Club. Our next networking event is after-work drinks at Manahatta, on May 25th at 5:30.

Don’t miss out on this chance to network with businesses from across the Harrogate district. Get your tickets by clicking or tapping here.

Harrogate based Kitchen and bathroom furniture maker, Harvey George, is to showcase Westmorland products – after the sheepskin retailer announced it was closing its store in the centre of town.

Westmorland Sheepskins said it would be no longer trading from its shop on Montpellier after failing to agree terms for a new lease on the unit.  The company said it would be continuing to trade online.

Now Harvey George’s owners have offered free space to promote Westmorland products in their showroom on Hookstone Park.

The company said it was keen to keep Harrogate’s independent retailers going and especially keen to support another Yorkshire made business like themselves.

Sophie Griffiths, Finance Director of Harvey George said:

“We are delighted to welcome Westmorland and their gorgeous soft furnishings into the Harvey George home”.

Dominique Heaton of Westmorland said:

“It’s lovely to still be part of the Harrogate retail story at the lovely new Harvey George space!”

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The Great Holiday Home Show will be held for the first time at the Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate this September.

The show will include the latest models of holiday homes, caravans, motorhomes and all aspects of life exploring the great outdoors.

TV presenter Matt Baker MBE will be live on the Great Holiday Home Stage chatting to Christine Talbot.

Richard Jones, Show Chairman, said:

“We are very excited to have Matt at the show this year talking about his love of the great outdoors. Now more than ever, many people are choosing to have a holiday home and we look forward to welcoming them to Harrogate in September for a spectacular show.”

Tickets for the Great Holiday Home Show held at the Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate for 3 days from Friday 8th September to Sunday 10th September 2023 are on sale now.

A total of 4,000 people attended Springtime Live at the Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate today.

The event, which showcases food, farming and the countryside,  featured pigs, goats and sheep brought by local farmers including Ian’s Mobile Farm and the Yorkshire Lamb Orphanage.

Peppa Pig and Peter Rabbit also entertained the youngsters while Diggerland was at the event for the first time.

Ripon Farm Services donated mini tractors which youngsters could ride around in an indoor circuit.

There were also cookery workshops and a climbing wall as well as alpacas, reptiles, Ferretworld’s Roadshow, Rare Breeds Survival Trust and forest crafts.

Springtime Live is organised by the Yorkshire Agricultural Society, a farming charity that also organises the Great Yorkshire Show.

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It started with a few mates from Knaresborough riding a dozen tractors around Tan Hill in 2012.

It is now one of the biggest annual events in the Harrogate district, involving almost 400 vehicles and thousands of well wishers along a 25-mile route.

How did the Knaresborough tractor run become such a beast?

Ramsgill sheep farmer Steve Brown, chairman of the tractor run committee, ponders the question a week after the event’s latest success, which saw 374 vehicles convoy around Harrogate, Knaresborough and Pateley Bridge last Sunday to raise more than £23,000 for Yorkshire Air Ambulance. He says:

“I think it’s a lot to do with the cause. If you work in a rural setting you don’t know when you might need an air ambulance. It’s a cause close to the heart.”

Advertising the cause. Pic: Rachael Fawcett Photography

That might explain why farmers and other rural workers get involved, but why do so many people line the route all around Nidderdale? Steven says:

“Where else can you see 400 tractors in a line? I think it’s that simplicity. Plus it keeps the kids occupied for a couple of hours and it doesn’t cost anything.”

Whatever the reasons, the tractor run has become as much a part of local life as the Great Yorkshire Show, the Knaresborough Bed Race and Harrogate pantomime.

How it started

A family photo of Mike Spink

The fun nature of the event belies its sad foundations.

Mike Spink, a member of Knaresborough Young Famers who took part in the early tractor runs, died in a road accident in 2017 after moving to New Zealand six months earlier. Steven recalls:

“Mike was a dairy farmer and a very big believer in the air ambulance. When he died we got together and thought ‘why don’t we make it a bigger event and raise money in his memory?'”.

So what until then had been a bit of fun on tractors around Tan Hill and Whitby each year suddenly became a more serious affair.

Credit: Rachael Fawcett Photography

Eighty tractors took part in the first event in memory of Mike and next year 134 lined-up. Soon the tractor run had outgrown Knaresborough and the start had to be moved to the Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate to accommodate all the vehicles.

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This year’s total was 10 fewer than last year’s record 384 and Steven thinks the total has plateaued between 350 to 400. But the tractor run never fails to surprise.

Passing Knaresborough House. Credit: Rachael Fawcett Photography

Not all the surprises are pleasant. This year’s decision to introduce a free livestream, which enabled people to see where the first and last tractors were so they knew when the convoy would be passing, attracted scammers who cloned the tractor run website and urged people to give their bank details. One person lost £1,500 before the ruse was spotted.

There’s also the constant issue of safety, which has put such a big insurance risk on Knaresborough Young Farmers that the committee is increasingly running it as a standalone event. Steven says:

“I always think of the most idiotic thing that can happen and work back from that. We do the best we can —that’s all we can do. Fortunately we’ve never had a major incident but you can never be lackadaisical. Safety is paramount.”

The committee meets about 10 times a year to plan for the event, and its first get-together to discuss the 2024 gathering was due to take place yesterday.

Steven says a “colossal amount” of work goes into planning and trying to work out the best route. The template doesn’t change much but there are always minor improvements and things to consider. Last year the food ran out at lunchtime in Pateley Bridge.

These children brought their own tractor to watch the start at the showground.

But it all comes together gloriously each spring: excited children jump up and down and cheer and even gnarly old farmers get a tingle as they parade like rock stars down Pateley Bridge High Street or through Markington, tooting their horns to large crowds.

It’s seven hours of pure tractor power with a touch of theatre set against the glorious Nidderdale backdrop and there is nothing like it. Whether it’s the biggest tractor run is debatable but few would dispute it’s the best. Steven says:

“We are led to believe it’s the biggest tractor run in the country. Some have more tractors but they don’t do a run like ours, they just go a few miles down the road.”

You can still donate to the air ambulance on behalf of the tractor run here.

Passing through Hampsthwaite. Credit: Rachael Fawcett Photography

Thousands of people turned out across the Harrogate district today to support the Knaresborough tractor run.

The event, which is believed to be Britain’s biggest tractor run, has become one of the district’s most popular annual events.

Almost 400 tractors, including some vintage open station models with hardy drivers braving the elements, tooted their horns, waved and revved their engines to the delight of the crowds.

Organised by Knaresborough Young Farmers, the event raises money for Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

Tractors set off just after 9am from the Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate and headed to Ripley and Knaresborough.

Today’s start at the showground.

The convoy then passed Staveley, Burton Leonard and Markington, Bishop Thornton and Glasshouses before stopping in Pateley Bridge for lunch.

The drivers and passengers then continued to Bewerley, Dacre, Darley, Birstwith and Hampsthwaite before finishing in Knaresborough late this afternoon.

The organisers arranged live tracking of the front and back tractors for the first time, which led to some scammers posting a link online asking people to give bank details to follow a live stream.

Some people reported losses before the organisers deleted the links and issued warnings not to use them.

The number of tractors taking part and the sum raised has yet to be confirmed but the event appears to have been another big success.

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About 400 vehicles are expected to take part in tomorrow’s 25-mile Knaresborough Tractor Run.

The tractors are due to set off from the Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate at 9am before snaking around the district.

The spectacular convoy will head to Ripley and Knaresborough before travelling to Staveley, Burton Leonard and Markington, Bishop Thornton and Glasshouses.

It is expected to arrive in Pateley Bridge at midday for a hog roast and then continue to Bewerley, Dacre, Darley, Birstwith and Hampsthwaite before finishing in Knaresborough at 4pm.

The number taken part won’t be known until tomorrow as drivers can turn up on the day.

Participation costs £20 and an extra £10 for each passenger. You can enter here or turn up at the showground.

All proceeds are donated to Yorkshire Air Ambulance — a cause close to the hearts of many farmers taking part because of the way it helps people in remote and rural areas.

Last year, a total if 383 tractors took part and the event raised £21,000.for Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

Although the route uses some minor roads, the convoy takes about an hour to file by and traffic delays are possible for vehicles caught up in the event.

The route snakes around Nidderdale

Tractor Run committee chairman and Ramsgill farmer Steven Brown urged anyone with a tractor, farmer or otherwise, to take part, and anyone without one to turn out to support the event. He said: 

“Come along and join in the fun. We reckon it’s the biggest tractor run in the UK, so the chances of seeing anything similar elsewhere are slim.”

Prizes will be awarded for tractors in three categories: vintage, classics, and modern. 

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