Borrowby Show punching above its weight as it moves to Saturday and breaks with tradition

“We’d always been a Wednesday show,” says Stephen. “But in the previous five years prior to Covid intervening we had lost money and there had been some who wondered whether it was worth carrying on.

“In committee we had lots of discussions about changing to Saturday and eventually we plumped to change last year with a new show chairman, Charlie Holland and new show secretary Natalie Cooke.

“The show proved so successful even though it was a miserable day. Attendance was significantly higher and we had a lot of good feedback. That’s why we’ve kept it that way.

Stephen has always been involved with his local football club, that is based at Hillside Rural Activities Park (HRAP), as well as having been on the show committee since he was 17 years old.

“I always say that I spend all my time here on the farm, but Angela, my wife, says I spend a lot of time at the HRAP field and I do. I am trustee and director of Hillside Rural Activity Park that is home to teams for football, cricket, tennis and athletics and hosts festivals. I’ve been secretary and treasurer of the village football team since I was 18 when I played as a defender. It takes up a lot of my time sorting out fixtures.

“I was pulled on to the show committee at 17 because I was helping on show days as a kid. The committee found me a job on the sheep section under Mr Arthur Andrews. That was 41 years ago. My dad Tim is still on the show committee. He used to look after the cattle section.

The success of Stephen’s sheep classes is something he is very proud of but is keen to pass the credit on to renowned local Suffolk sheep breeder and showman Lester Peel of Over Silton.

“I’ve been secretary for the sheep classes since around 2009 and last year our sheep classes were bigger than ever. We are seriously punching above our weight for a small agricultural show. We had around 120 pens in 2022 with nearly 150 sheep.

“We introduced the Zwartbles breed last year and they proved to be really popular newcomers. The real sheep brains behind the show are Lester’s. He’s very much my right-hand man. I’d be lost without him. He finds the judges because he knows everyone from a long showing career that has seen him twice take supreme champion at the Great Yorkshire Show.

When I first attended Borrowby Show in 1991, having made it my mission to cover every Yorkshire agricultural show I could in my first year of agricultural writing, I recall turning up at around 9am expecting to find a hive of activity among the cattle and sheep. Back then they were just arriving and it was more of an afternoon affair. Stephen says it is very different today.

“Nowadays sheep judging starts at 10am and so everyone has to be on the showground long before. Our main ring activities start at 11am. There’s plenty to see with strong classes in the equine section, Shire horses, classic tractors, vintage cars, a fun dog show and our produce and children’s competitions in the big tent has been outstanding for a number of years. We also introduced a cavies section last year that proved a big hit.

“Sadly, the cattle classes have gone. We packed up with them last year, but we do have a couple of farmers who bring cattle purely so that we have some here, and we try to make it as agricultural as best we can. Last year we had some beautiful Longhorns and the Corner family brought some Jerseys from Brompton.

“I was reading an NFU publication recently and a lady wrote that we were her favourite small agricultural show. We don’t charge a fortune to get through the gate and hopefully folks come and make a day of it. That’s what happened last year.

Stephen tells of another element that was brought to last year’s show and created the kind of impact that brought about a new interest and a new world championship.

“We introduced the Yorkshire Pudding Throwing Championships of the World. It turned out to be a lot of fun and was decided on the longest throw. Aunt Bessie’s sponsored it. It’s back on again this year. And for the even more athletic we also have our own 5K road race.

While Stephen is excited about this year’s Borrowby Show, that takes place next Saturday 29 July, and is still enjoying his involvement with his local football club, he admits to his day job of having 65 dairy cows not carrying quite the same excitement.

“Farming is nowhere near what it was when I left school. If I’m really honest I don’t enjoy the job like I used to, anywhere close to it. I read your articles about people who live for what they do, and don’t get me wrong, I don’t dislike having cows, but it’s getting very close to that point of whether I stay in cows in a year or two’s time.

Stephen’s move from Borrowby Farm in the village to Borrowby Grange is what stopped his cows from their extra curricula grazing.

“While we were at Borrowby Farm the cows had to walk through the village and that was starting to cause problems for those who had moved into the village. One chap had just tarmacked his drive and they walked over it. Unfortunately, he hadn’t shut his gate. Others had planted pansies and as the cows walked passed they would take a big mouthful and tidy them all up.

“After moving to Borrowby Grange we put in a robotic milker as the old milking parlour was literally rotting away. It had been a question of stopping in cows or not, but the positive things about the robot are that it enabled me not to have to put up any large new buildings and as we by then had three sons and as the oldest were starting to play football I could go and watch them.

He may not live for his farming in the way he started many years ago, but Stephen thoroughly enjoys all of his involvement at Hillside Rural Activities Centre, his football and Borrowby Show.