CROWDS FLOCK TO SHOW
Otley gets the summer season under way
IT IS the oldest one-day agricultural show in England and traditionally marks the start of the summer season of farming showcases.
And crowds flocked to the Otley Show when it returned for its 208th year at the weekend, with organisers claiming entries had flooded in for all sections.
A bumper year for trade stands and exhibits saw the likes of Otley Ferret Rescue and the town’s sailing club setting up alongside a farmers’ market, spinners and weavers, and vintage cars and tractors. Other attractions on Saturday included the Squibb Freestyle Stunt Team, Bob Hogg’s Sheepdog and Duck Display and the Lamb National.
Show secretary Janet Raw said: “The horses and the sheep have been quite phenomenal here and in the cattle we’ve had a superb range. We’ve been delighted. A lot of local people have turned out with their produce and handicrafts too.”
There was success on Saturday for the Richardson family, of Doncaster, as they defended their best dairy title, this time with a Jersey cow in milk.
Overall champion beef winner went to Lucy Corner, of Aycliffe, with a British blonde, while Holmfirth-based Texel exhibitor Paul Sykes picked up the title for supreme sheep champion.
Following cases of avian flu in Lancashire, the poultry committee cancelled that section but the egg and pigeon sections went ahead as planned.
The veteran horse classes – a new addition for 2017 – proved a successful addition to the show’s winning formula.
“It’s been very popular,” Mrs Raw said. “We actually had to split the coloured classes. I think the veteran horses will be with us to stay.”
While the weather on Saturday may have been mixed, the mood among organisers was upbeat as they began to reflect on another successful show.
Mrs Raw added: “We’re used to coping with anything that the weather throws at us. It’s gone very well. I think the record number of sheep has been a highlight and the fact everybody came in the morning.
“We’ve had a really good gate and people have enjoyed it.”