Great Yorkshire Show organisers speak of the biggest challenges in its long history amid the Covid-19 pandemic

The Great Yorkshire Show will return on Tuesday, July 13, in Harrogate a moment that will be cherished for so many across the region’s countryside communities and beyond.

And on the eve of the start of England’s biggest showcase of rural life, Mr Mills, the show’s director, recollected the darkest moments when the intricate planning had faced yet another challenge.

He said: “It has been a huge challenge to make sure we have been able to get to this point, and we have such a dedicated team who have been able to make this happen.

“There were moments when I did wake up in the middle of the night wondering whether we would be able to actually stage the show.

“But one of the principles of the Yorkshire Agricultural Society is that we should deliver a show, and I know that is what our forefathers would have wanted, so we were more determined than ever to make sure this year’s event did happen.”

The challenges, however, to stage the 162nd Great Yorkshire Show have been immense with organisers having to take account of a raft of measures to ensure it adheres to a host of regulations to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

The show normally takes almost 12 months to plan, but that task had to be completed in just four months after the decision was taken in March to go ahead with the event - with the vast majority of meetings taking place online.

The Yorkshire Agricultural Society’s head of operations, Nigel Morgan, had actually stood down from his role when the show was last staged two years ago - the 2020 edition had to be cancelled due to Covid-19

Mr Morgan, who was appointed as head of operations in 2005, said: “I knew that there were going to be a host of different challenges when I agreed to help back in March, but I never realised it would be this intense.

“But if I knew back then what I know now, I would still have done this. The Great Yorkshire Show is so important to so many people, and to able to stage it this year is so special - it’s the first step back in many ways to some degree of normality.”

The show, which is normally a three-day event, will be staged over four days for the first time in its history to ensure strict Covid-19 protocols can be followed.

It will mean that the show will welcome a total of 104,000 people in total over the extended four days, instead of the usual 135,000 visitors over three days.

Opening hours have also been extended and the show will now run from 8am to 6pm each day to allow visitors to arrive and leave in a more staggered manner to help avoid queues.

The event at the Great Yorkshire Showground has been adapted to use as much outdoor space as possible while face coverings will need to be worn in all indoor areas, including toilets and the grandstand, and visitors will be encouraged to wear facemasks while in queues.

The normal 60 security and safety staff has been increased by two-thirds, and a dedicated team of 25 Covid-19 marshalls have been recruited to provide help and guidance to visitors.

The 1,200-strong workforce who are being employed throughout the four days of this year’s show have thankfully not been widely affected by having to self-isolate after coming into close contact with someone infected with Covid-19, which Mr Morgan told The Yorkshire Post would have presented major last minute problems.

He said: “We have a large group of people we can call on to help out as temporary staff, but this year we have asked a lot more to come on board already. Thankfully we haven’t had to contend with too many people having to self-isolate, which has been a godsend.”

Mr Mills himself stressed that despite the challenges for this year’s event, there has been a deep-rooted desire to ensure that the Great Yorkshire Show would go ahead.

He said: “It is strange, the show gets in your blood, it is such a special event. When we get to Friday evening, it will be emotional - there might not quite be a tear in our eyes, but there will definitely be a lump in our throats.”