The Farmers Mart Aug/Sep 2013 - Issue 29 | Page 55

Rooker hill farm

Sprayer Operator of the Year competition. Our youngest son Sam is here for the summer too prior to going off to Australia to play cricket and watch the Ashes.” Kate trained in farm secretarial work at Bishop Burton College. She eventually became self-employed working with a number of farms in Ryedale and has also worked in a primary school for over a decade. “I started working at the Great Yorkshire Showground for the Yorkshire Rural Support Network around three and a half years ago,” she said. Their eldest son Edward finished at Harper Adams last year and following a six month stint in New Zealand has recently taken on a trainee manager’s role with Co-op Farms in Leicestershire. Kate found herself brought onto the Aldborough & Boroughbridge Show committee in the early days of their arrival in the area, by a man who she remembers fondly to this day. “Arthur Hockridge was a local builder and such a lovely character. He was always on the lookout for new and younger committee members and he made sure of my involvement a short time after we arrived at Rooker Hill. “We’ve been fortunate to have had some wonderful people who have given so

much of their time to make the show a success each year. It has grown tremendously over the past 20 years. Harry Orton looks after the cattle and ensures that our cattle entries generally top the 100 mark. He has Limousins at Hopperton and gets around the exhibitors to make sure everyone is coming.” Last year the show had to be called off from its due date because of the poor weather and it took place in September minus the sheep and cattle classes. But this year it was back with its centenary bang. “We were all determined to make it work and it most certainly did!” Kate smiled. “The sun shone, everyone had a great day and our attendance figures were fantastic. Aldborough & Boroughbridge has come on leaps and bounds since those days when we were at Stump Cross but we are still happy to have our tag as the ‘friendly little show’.” Interestingly, Ben and Kate were only five brothers and sisters away from being a very real musical. “Ben’s brother and my sister married 10 years before we did,” Kate said. They now farm in the East Riding at Huggate in the beautiful rolling Yorkshire Wolds.” Hmm! Two Brides for Two Brothers doesn’t quite have the same ring to it as seven!

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