Virtual show helps take pain out of losing the GYS

THE CHIEF executive of the Yorkshire Agricultural Society has spoken of his sadness at being forced to cancel this year’s Great Yorkshire Show as he prepares to oversee a virtual version of the farming showcase.

Running on the society’s website from Tuesday to

Thursday – the three days that the show was due to take place – the series of short films will take visitors on to farms, into workshops and behind the scenes with food producers.

Nigel Pulling, chief executive of the society, which organises the show, said the virtual version was not trying to replicate the actual event, but represent it.

“As many sections of the show as possible have been involved,” he said, adding that the response from people when the society decided to try to host a virtual event had been “really heartwarming”.

The “sad but sensible” decision to cancel the show was taken in March after the coronavirus lockdown.

“The hardest thing is it feels like a lifetime since we cancelled it,” Mr Pulling said.

The virtual show’s full line-up will be revealed on the website.

But confirmed performances include the Main Arena headliners Atkinson Action Horses, a cook-off between chefs Rosemary Shrager and Stephanie Moon, a Q&A session with The Yorkshire Vets, Peter Wright and Julian Norton, and a behind-the-scenes tour with Olympic showjumper Graham Fletcher.