The Farmers Mart Jun/Jul 2014 - Issue 34 | Page 26

GREAT YORKSHIRE SHOW

YORKSHIRE
TRIUMPHS AGAIN
AT HARROGATE!
After the mammoth turnout of 2.5m
spectators for the Tour de France,
Yorkshire was once again in the
spotlight in July as thousands
flocked to the Great Yorkshire Show,
England’s biggest agricultural event.
Two Royals were among
the visitors – HRH the
Princess Royal and HRH
the Countess of Wessex,
which delighted Bill
Cowling, the Show’s
honorary director, who was
also celebrating his newlyannounced appointment
as a Deputy Lieutenant for
North Yorkshire.
The announcement came
on 9 July as Bill prepared to
welcome HRH the Princess
Royal, having welcomed The
Countess of Wessex the day
before.
The event was also
special for Bill’s six year old
granddaughter, Francesca
Kottler, who presented a
Yorkshire white rose to the
Princess Royal during her
visit,
when she

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Jun/Jul 2014 FarmersMart

inspected the event’s first
ever ladies’ sheep-shearing
competition and a dry stone
wall sculpture, known as the
Crimple Valley Oracle, by
Johnny Clasper.
TV chefs Rosemary Shrager
and James Martin were a hit
with foodies in the Game
Cookery Theatre, as was
Britain’s largest annual cheese
and dairy show - including
the Grand Départ challenge
‘Homage to Fromage.’
A record number of entries
in the competitive classes
totalled 12,843, 200 more
than the previous best, and
there also are individual
records for cattle and sheep.
On the President’s lawn the
accolade of most impressive
display was fought out
between Barber,a restored
Edwardian steam loco and
Steve Medhi’s Yorkshire Man
of Steel. But there was a
sad element too, with the
moving BBC’s First World
War exhibition.
Bill Cowling says the
whole show, has been
a great success.
“After the fantastic
Tour de France we
are delighted to
have welcomed so
many more people to
Yorkshire,” he said. “This
show goes from strength to
strength year after year.”

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