More than 6,000 people attended Ripley Show yesterday.

The event, which dates back to 1849, is a traditional village show held each year in the grounds of Ripley Castle.

Despite dark clouds, the day stayed mainly dry as visitors enjoyed everything from terrier racing to axe throwing and giant tortoises.

Organised by Ripley and District Agricultural and Horticultural Society on the second Sunday of August each year, there was also sheep dog trials, ferret racing and the judging of numerous animal classes and homemade produce.

Here are some photos from the day.

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Axe throwing was among the activities on offer.

Terrier racing was a big hit in the main ring.

There were more than 100 stalls to browse.

The sheep dog trials are a major part of the show.

More than 600 sheep were entered for judging.

The show is held in the grounds of Ripley Castle.

Several thousand people are expected to flock to Ripley on Sunday for one of the oldest village shows in the country.

Ripley Show, which dates back to 1849, is a traditional country show that celebrates agriculture and horticulture.

Held in the grounds of Ripley Castle, it is one of the larger village shows with more than 100 stands to browse, as well as numerous activities. An estimated 6,000 to 8,000 people attend.

There will be Terrier racing and Shetland pony racing in the main ring, heavy horses, giant tortoises, sheep dog trials and ferret racing, as well as lots of judging of produce and children’s activities.

Sheep entries have been particularly strong this year, with more than 600 set to be judged in the various categories.

The sheep show returns and this year sees the introduction of a donkey show for the first time.

The event takes place from about 8.30am to 5pm and dogs on leads are welcome.

Ripley and District Agricultural and Horticultural Society organises the event on the second Sunday of August annually.

Show secretary Tammy Smith said:

“Visitors can expect a lovely traditional local show with lots of different attractions to keep them entertained all day.”

Early bird tickets, which are available here until midnight on Friday, cost £12 for adults and £5.50 for children aged five to 16. Family tickets, which allow for up to two adults and three children, are £30 and children under five can attend for free. The prices rise to £16, £7 and £36 on Saturday and on the day. Parking is free.

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As the summer continues, it can only mean one thing…village show season is due to begin.

From vintage tractors and giant tortoises to handwriting competitions and terrier racing, we’ve collated a list of village shows happening across the district this summer.

If you have something to add to the round-up, email us the details.

Weeton Show

Titled “The Greatest Little Show in Yorkshire”, Weeton Show offers locals a jam-packed day of guaranteed fun.

The village show will host a wealth of entertainment throughout the day, with food stalls, live brass bands, a Punch and Judy performance, farrier demonstrations and much more.

The day will also include over 200 classes of horses, sheep, dogs, produce and horticulture.

Weeton show has been an integral part of the village since 1947 and still promises to be fun for all the family.

The show will take place on Sunday, July 30.

Tickets start at £7 – more information can be found here.

Pic: Valeria Mather from Weeton Show website.

Birstwith Show

This year marks the 127th annual Birstwith Show and, after all these years, it still has lots on offer.

For any local horticulturists, the village show has an extensive list of classes to enter or enjoy, ranging from pansies and delphiniums to hydrangeas and hanging baskets.

The show will also showcase a variety of fresh fruit and vegetables.

Children can also get involved in classes and can show off their photography, baking, or even sock puppet-making skills.

Birstwith Show will take place on Saturday, July 29.

Find more information here – ticket prices begin at £7.

Pic: Sarah Jane Osler

Ripley Show

Ripley Show takes place in the grounds of the iconic Ripley Castle and, too, offers a day of agricultural fun.

The show offers a wide range of events and classes, including ferret racing, a companion dog show, children’s fancy dress, and much more.

This year’s attendees can also expect some updates to the schedule – from donkey classes to novice gardener classes.

Ripley Show will take place on Sunday, August 13.

Click here for more information – tickets start at £6.50.

Pic: Ripley Show Facebook page

Tockwith Show

Tockwith Show will also host a day of agricultural and horticultural excitement.

The village show – which was established in 1945 – will hold over 800 classes throughout the day.

Attendees can expect to see giant tortoises, trade stands, Farlavale gun dogs, farm animals and demonstrations.

There will also be pony club displays, a tractor parade, and a dog dash.

The show will take place on Sunday, August 6.

More information can be found here – tickets cost £10.

Pic: Tockwith Show Facebook page

Nidderdale Show

Nidderdale Show (affectionately known at Pateley Show) boats one of the finest exhibitions of animals in the UK.

The show will host a variety of animal competitions, show jumping, horticulture, crops, dry stone walling and more.

People can also enjoy a cricket match, funfair and live music.

There will be a two-course carvery lunch, as well as other hot meals, afternoon teas, sandwiches, and hot beverages available. There will also be mobile catering units and bars located around the showground.

Sunflowers Day Nursery will have staff on-hand to provide a relaxing family area for children (and parents) when necessary.

The show will take place on Sunday, September 24.

Find more information here – tickets cost £13.50.

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Ripley Show will make its return this weekend after a three-year break – and organisers say enthusiasm has never been higher.

With a sunny forecast and plenty of advance tickets already sold, the show field at Ripley is set to be packed with visitors on Sunday.

Having last been held in 2019 before the covid pandemic, the show is returning in its familiar format, with livestock and equestrian classes, a companion dog show, and horticulture and craft competitions.

The main ring will feature displays of heavy horses, a hound parade and an “anti-gravity” show from Savage Skills.

Show secretary Tammy Smith said:

“The preparations are going well. We’re all a little bit rusty after three years off and trying to remember what we all should be doing, but everybody’s pitching in and turning up.

“It’s amazing, all the volunteers are incredible – they just arrive and get on with sorting everything out.

“It’s great to be getting back to it.”

Ms Smith said while some of the volunteers had moved on since the last show, there had been a number of new people offering to help and Knaresborough Young Farmers was also bringing its members to keep things running smoothly.

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With the forecast looking sunny and hot, with highs of 30C, Ms Smith said the organisers will be keeping an eye on conditions to ensure animals, exhibitors and visitors were kept safe and well.

Tickets for the show are available in advance on the website, which organisers said will speed up entry on the day.

Some tickets will still be available on the gate at £15 for adults and £6 for children aged between five and 16. Family tickets are available and Ripley Show also offers membership, with benefits including preferential car parking.

Get set for melting ice creams, home-grown marrows, dog shows and death-defying display teams… the village show season is about to begin.

After two covid-ruined years, these quintessentially British events are returning to the Harrogate district.

The Masham Steam Engine and Fair Organ Rally, which includes a Lancaster bomber fly past and dancing differs, takes place today and tomorrow.

The action comes thick and fast then. Here’s what’s happening.

July 24: Aldborough and Boroughbridge Agricultural Show

The show at Newby Hall celebrates its 107th anniversary this year.

It will feature Yorkshire produce, crafts and livestock as well as attractions and events ranging from dog, cattle and sheep showing classes to horse, pony and donkey events and hay making demonstrations.

There will be crafts, cream teas, heavy horses, baking, handicrafts, horticulture, flower arranging, photography and farm produce.

Aldborough and Boroughbridge Show.

The grand ring will host children’s races, terrier racing always and a dog show.

Catherine Park Peyton, chair of the show:

“Our show is one of the biggest community events in the area and we are very pleased to work in partnership with Newby Hall where the parkland provides the perfect backdrop for a country show.”

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July 30: Birstwith Show

The village show in Nidderdale will be staged for the first time in three years.

The highlights include a bicycle display team, Pete White and his Suitcase Circus, dog agility classes, a pony show and a dog show.

First held in 1867, it is one of the mainstays of the show season.

July 31: Weeton Show

Weeton Show, which was created just after the Second World War, was one of the few to take place last year and was rewarded with a huge turnout.

This year’s event features Dangerous Steve in the main ring, terrier racing, vintage tractors and a farrier demonstration.

August 7: Tockwith Show

Tockwith Show will return for 2022 in August.

The show features plenty of agriculture and horticultural attractions. There is also a sheep show, a farmers market and working crafts.

Tockwith Show 2019 pic credit: Steve Ross

The show, which dates back to 1945, takes place on Cattal Moor Lane in Tockwith.

August 14: Ripley Show

The show, initially held in 1849, will be staged for the first time in three years.

Among this year’s attractions are Savage Skills, who are the UK’s leading freestyle mountain bike and BMX stunt team.

There are also jumping classes, fancy dress, vintage machines and dog classes which include dog agility, companion dog and friends show, terrier racing, gun dog retrieve and sheep dogs.

Ripley Show is traditionally held on the second Sunday in August at Ripley Castle Park.

It is organised by Ripley and District Agricultural and Horticultural Show Ltd, a member of the Yorkshire Federation of Show Societies.

September 19: Nidderdale Show

The Annual Nidderdale Show, held in the picturesque surrounds of Bewerley Park, Pateley Bridge, is one of the county’s foremost agricultural shows.

It regularly attracts crowds of 15,000 and traditionally marks the end of the agricultural show season.

In this article, which is part of a series on the 15 stories in the Harrogate district that shaped 2021, we look at the return of the show in a year in which many smaller agricultural events in the district fell victim to covid again.

The Great Yorkshire Show in July signalled a brief return to some sort of normality after covid decimated another year of outdoor events.

The show was cancelled last year and the venue’s Yorkshire Event Centre was converted into a covid vaccination site in the early months of the year.

For a while, it seemed possible that Yorkshire’s flagship farming event might have to be cancelled for a second year running. But the Yorkshire Agricultural Society took the decision to hold it over four days so visitors could spread out ⁠— and the risk paid off.

Prince Charles at the show

The Stray Ferret attended all four sun-kissed days to watch award-winning goats, sample 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.

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

Prince 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, including Phil Airey from Harrogate gardening charity Horticap.

The Stray Ferret’s videos of the royal couple attending the event and leaving the Stray via helicopter went viral and received over 200,000 views on our Facebook page. You can view them on our YouTube page here and here.

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This year’s show also got a happy (and emotional) ending a week after it ended.

Farmer David Mitchell and his wife Annette drove 200 miles from East Ayrshire to be reunited with the intrepid Puss the Cat, who they feared was lost forever after she bolted from his trailer after sneaking in and hitching a ride to Harrogate.

Many shows cancelled

But although the Great Yorkshire Show went ahead, and will remain a four-day event in 2022, other agricultural shows weren’t as fortunate.

Nidderdale Show, which usually attracts about 15,000 people to Pateley Bridge in September, was cancelled.

So was Ripley Show, Birstwith Show and Tockwith Show, with organisers citing concerns over health, logistics and the extension of social distancing restrictions.

Masham Steam Engine and Fair Organ Rally called off its summer event, citing “too many uncertainties to proceed”.

But the unique Masham Sheep Fair went ahead in September.

Masham Sheep Fair

There is no other event like it in the district. As well as sheep judging, it offered sheepdog trials, tours of the Theakston and Black Sheep breweries, Morris dancing, fleece stalls and even sheep racing to keep the crowds entertained.

Organiser Susan Cunliffe-Lister told the Stray Ferret she was determined to hold the fair this year despite uncertainty over covid.

Weeton Show also decided to proceed and was rewarded with a sell-out crowd and glorious sun.

Agricultural shows are a major part of the district’s summer life and many people will be hoping they return en masse in 2022.

Organisers of the Great Yorkshire Show have said they are hopeful the event will still go ahead despite other large events being cancelled in the district.

Yorkshire Agricultural Society (YAS) has said it is continuing to plan for the event but will only go ahead “if it is safe to do so”.

The Great Yorkshire Show is planned for July 13-15.

This week, Ripley Show was cancelled. The event was due to take place on August 8 but organisers said it would be impossible to enforce social distancing reasonably.

To welcome its usual visitor numbers of over 100,000, the Great Yorkshire Show is reliant on a positive outcome from the government’s trial events in the coming months.

A spokesperson for the YAS said:

“The safety of show visitors, exhibitors and staff is paramount, and we are continuing to discuss how we deliver the most covid safe show possible.

“We await the outcome of the government’s pilot events in anticipation of further guidance on the staging of larger events after existing restrictions are lifted on June 21.”

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The organisers have not given a date for an official decision to be made but said it will be reviewed alongside government guidance.

The Yorkshire Agricultural Society has released similar comments previously suggesting that the show is under constant review. However, this has raised questions about the vaccination centre.

The showground, which can carry out up to 1,800 vaccinations a day, has been the Harrogate district’s main vaccine site since December.

A spokesperson for YAS said organisers were still in discussions with the NHS over the centre.

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.

Read more:

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• Birstwith Show set to return in July. 
• Tockwith Show asks volunteers to come forward to ensure the event goes ahead. 
• Organisers optimistic for this year’s Nidderdale Show.
• Great Yorkshire Show looks set to go ahead in July.