Meet the fourth and fifth generations of the Dales farming family who have helped run Kilnsey Show since 1897

John said that he and his family have always looked forward to the show and that his forbears felt the same.

“Kilnsey Show has always been at the heart of our family’s social calendar. My family started farming where we are today in Cracoe in 1894, just three years prior to the show starting in 1897. My great-grandfather Leonard Carlisle won first prize for his bullocks at the second ever show in 1898 and my father Donald and grandfather Dawes also showed extensively and were both show presidents."

John said that his own involvement with the show has included competing as well as being a member of the show committee for many years.

“I’ve shown cattle and sheep. I won the under 14s and under 17s fell races and the young farmers sheep stockjudging competition. I’ve been chief cattle steward for the past 15 years, a post I’m relinquishing after this year’s show, but I will still be involved as a steward and a committee member.

“Tom is a cattle steward and both he and Julie enter several classes. Julie won three trophies last year, including most points for her baking and two for her photography. Tom exhibits also, including the gentlemen’s cake baking, which is vigorously contested both officially in the produce marquee and then unofficially and with much debate in the Kingsway Veterinary marquee by young and not so young farmers afterwards."

John said he feels that Kilnsey Show has developed over the decades into far more than just the annual get together for the farming and countryside community.

“Kilnsey Show is as perfect a show as the hill sheep farmers can get. The show comes just before the main sheep sales and it means that the exhibitors all have the animals they are wanting to sell, to go into other breeding flocks, in prime condition.

“It gives an early opportunity, but not too early, for the sheep men and women to assess stock and talk with each other about their prospects at the forthcoming sales held at local livestock markets – and some business is done at the show too.

“The show brings town and country, urban and rural, together and it allows us to correct the misconceptions that may exist among those who don’t know what goes on and why in the countryside. We and other shows are conscious of trying to educate and inform about farming and to show how much we care about where we live and what we do.

“Kilnsey is a showcase for all that is good in the rural economy – farming, food, the environment, sustainability."

Committee meetings are held at The Tennants Arms, opposite the showground, which was famously used in The Calendar Girls movie, featuring the ladies of the local Rylstone WI when they launched their tasteful nude calendar that has gone on to raise over £5m for Leukaemia Research.

John said that, thankfully, meetings were held fully clothed.

“We have fabulous people involved throughout every section of the show with each section run fairly autonomously, but with all sections working towards a common goal.

“Our current chairman Chris Windle has done an absolutely outstanding job during Covid times particularly liaising with the local council over regulations; and our previous chairman Robert Lambert, who is now our show president, and his wife Kathy gave countless years of selfless devotion to ensuring Kilnsey Show’s future."

John said that the cattle section, where he has concentrated his show efforts in the past 15 years and more, is a prime example of how a show develops over time.

“Classes evolve over the years. When I was a boy it was nearly all dairy classes. The few beef cattle classes would be housed in big pens and weren’t halter led. As more Dales farms went out of milk, including us, other cattle became more prevalent and the show evolved into commercial and pedigree beef classes.

“We now have classes that reflect what is most popular including Limousins, British Blues, Highlanders and many other native and continental breeds. The show continually evolves and that is sometimes driven by government policy. We’ve had an increase in native breeds more recently."

John said that entries now come from many miles away.

“There is an awful lot of work involved in getting cattle ready for show and those who do it tend to go around a lot of shows, but we do also have a good number of local farmers for whom, like us, it is their local show that they would not miss.

“We’ve also overseen a realignment of the cattle marquee and show rings, making it far easier for everyone to view.

“We generally have good weather but in my early years as chief cattle steward we had a deluge of rain one year and that brought about the decision to incorporate better means of getting stock on and off the field, for the now much bigger transportation than was used a couple of generations ago.

“I approached Mr Anthony Roberts, who owns the showfield, about putting in permanent tracks and they are now all around the show, which helps ensure the field is kept in good order."

John said this year also sees new attractions at the show including a 200ft miniature railway for family rides and a steam traction engine, which are both coming over from the East Riding.

Kilnsey Show attracts an attendance of between 12,000 to 15,000 and will take place on Tuesday 30 August.