Honley Show starts 'rebuild' with new date and location as it looks to overcome tough few years

Two years ago and in the shadow of Covid restrictions it held what should have been a large and glorious Centenary Show as a very much watered down showcase event, which although well attended was nowhere near what the organisers would have hoped to mark the occasion.

Honley Show had missed three consecutive years, with 2019 a wash-out, 2020 not allowed due to Covid and 2021 pretty much the same. The show moved to Wilshaw, near Meltham last year, for which the committee was exceedingly grateful, but now it’s back at its Farnley Tyas showground.

Cattle secretary and show society director Judith Patrick says that last year’s and now this year’s show is largely about re-establishing Honley Show in the exhibitors’ calendar, which has also not been helped by the recent changes of date and change of location, but that this year’s venue and date will hopefully begin the rebuild.

“The Wilshaw site wasn’t available to us this year, but we were very fortunate that the farmer that had us for many years has committed to having us back for a five year period at Farnley Tyas.

“Our show date was traditionally the second weekend in June, but the show society found it had a number of shows they had to cancel because of bad weather on that weekend. Last year, on the show’s return we tried 23 July, but in retrospect that was right up against the school holidays and although we were up in entry numbers we probably did lose some community involvement from schools.

“We’ve gone for Saturday 1 July this year in the hope of better weather, but just look at it now in June!

Judith showed Hereford cattle at Honley for many years, bred from her parents’ smallholding near Halifax. She married her farmer husband Nigel and they now have a Hebridean flock of sheep on their smallholding.

It was when Judith and Nigel attended the Honley Show Centenary Showcase at the cricket and recreation ground in 2021 that Judith was pressganged into the show committee.

“Nigel was mayor of Kirklees and we attended as mayor & mayoress. My parents had stopped with cattle, which had gone when they retired, and as the Honley Show committee knew I had exhibited and at the time were looking for some additional support in the cattle section I was cornered by the chair of the show society and asked whether I would get involved, as assistant cattle secretary to the lovely Cynthia Osborne who had held the role at both Honley and Emley Shows for many years. I saw it as a continuity of some involvement with cattle.

“I joined in 2022 and Cynthia took that as a good opportunity for her to retire and so 2023 will be my second show as cattle secretary. They were very big shoes to fill. I don’t think you fully appreciate the work and organisation that goes into it all if you’re an exhibitor, until you take up a role in administration and organising the section.

“Our date this year is a good niche for cattle exhibitors because it is still sufficiently before the Great Yorkshire for anyone who has livestock they are starting to exhibit for the first time in the show season. We had junior female champion with my own homebred heifer at the Great Yorkshire in 2004, and we showed it at Honley first.

Judith says that the changes in date and not having a show for three consecutive years prior to last year means there is a rebuild required, but that last year’s entries in all livestock classes were encouraging.

“We are trying to maintain a very strong agricultural feel to the show. We’ve lost the poultry classes because of continuing problems with bird flu, but in the cattle classes we hope to have 50 across native classes for Dexter, Highland and Hereford, along with any other native and any other continental, plus commercial and dairy classes. Last year’s Supreme Cattle champion came from local Lincoln Red breeders Jonathan and Elaine Bradley.

“We will have an open-sided marquee for the cattle. That’s important because we’ve exemption from pre-movement testing for TB. I’ve specifically gone for that because there have been some cases of bovine TB locally so I felt it was important we had that exemption to encourage all exhibitors.

“Our sheep entries were at 200 last year with sheep secretary Chris Taylor, and we also had good classes for pigs and goats.

“The show is still in recovery phase from Covid and the long gap Honley Show had, but we still had about 12,000 at last year’s show. We are well supported by the local public, farming community and show people. We have new exhibitors including those early in their showing careers. There’s definitely a succession coming. That’s why it’s important to keep things like young handlers classes going.

Judith also believes this year’s change of date back to before the school summer holidays will help.

“We usually get quite a lot of entries from schools in the handicrafts tent, but with the show being held on what was the first day after the schools had broken up for summer holidays last year it meant schools weren’t able to commit to entries. We had a lot of families setting off for their holidays just when we held the show last year.

Judith is looking forward to what is coming up to her busiest time. Closing date for cattle entries is Monday 26 June. https://honleyshow.co.uk