Video: Gt Yorkshire Show’s ‘golden period’ grows ever brighter

Firmly ensconced as the country’s premier agricultural show, the event continues to grow and thrive with each passing year.

While the weather isn’t everything, it does mean a great deal, and this year the forecasters were left red faced, as were many of the attendees, after the threatened deluges failed to materialise and bright sunshine bathed the showground in warmth for all three days.

Some years ago Nigel Pulling, the chief executive of the show’s organisers, the Yorkshire Agricultural Society, told The Yorkshire Post that the event was entering a “golden period”,

On the evidence of this week, this is showing no sign of abatement.

The crowds simply flocked in, perhaps inspired by the weather, perhaps due to the draw of Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall, perhaps even out of solidarity for the countryside following the disappointment of the hunting vote postponement,

Whatever the reason the attendance must have been sky-high with the food halls in particular bustling with activity throughout the three days.

Among those enjoying the scenes were Heidi May and James MacKaye.

The couple from Wakefield, were paying their first ever visit to the show, had been amazed at the scale of the farming showpiece.

“I knew the Great Yorkshire Show was a big deal but I had no idea of the scale of it,” said Mr MacKaye. “I have been meaning to come for years and will certainly be coming back.

“I have just enjoyed the general ambiance.

“The shopping has been really good too. We have picked up some real bargains, and seeing the cattle parade was really cool as well.”

Ms May, whose father used to be a steward at the show in years gone by, said: “We think of Yorkshire as being this really urban place but there’s actually some of the best countryside in Europe to be found here, and these are the people who provide us with it.

“It is a great demonstration of Yorkshire pride, which is certainly on the up.”

Also enjoying the show was Kate Thomas, paying her 14th visit. “I used to come all the time when I was a kid,” she said.

“Every school trip tended to be here. Now I come to see old friends and enjoy the horses. I have horses myself so I love the showjumping.”

The location of the showground means that the traffic is never going to flow smoothly but somehow, some way, this year the cars seemed to file in without too many issues.

The further the days wore on the more the crowds swelled, with the area outside the president’s pavilion a sea of people, either trying to catch a glimpse of what was going on in the main ring or just relaxing on the grass, enjoying ice-cream or a cold drink or two.

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