ORGANISERS of Thornton-le-Dale’s 94th annual show hailed it an enormous success.

There were so many entries in the horticulture, handicrafts art, floral and dairy classes, that a 40ft extension had to be added to the 340ft long marquee.

Show chairman Martin Blythe estimated the crowd at 15,000-plus with entries and visitors from all parts of the country.

He said: “People made incredibly long journeys to see what we believe is one of the most successful day shows in the country.

“The show is of enormous value to the holiday businesses in the area.

It costs us about £60,000 to stage but the benefit to our community makes it really worth while.”

While car parks filled quickly, the show has now reached its capacity, believes Mr Blythe.

“We have reached a plateau because there are no more fields into which we can expand. Even if there were, it doesn’t necessarily follow that a bigger show would be a better one. Our aim is to promote rural life,” said Mr Blythe, who has been chairman for 24 years.

“The whole scene seemed to be even busier than I have known it in previous years, when we have repeatedly built on our success. It was a very, very good show, with very few hitches.”

There were just two casualties who needed hospital treatment – a visitor who collapsed and a woman who had a suspected broken ankle in a fall.

There were many attractions in the main ring including falconry displays, Atkinson’s Action Horses, Jamie Squibb, World of Magic, children’s sports, a lurcher and terrier show, tug-of-war, the Derwent Hunt parade of hounds, the Kangaroos gymnastic team and Elaine Hill with her sheepdogs and ducks.

“It all added up to a terrific family day out. We have had so much praise from judges, exhibitors and the public which made all the hard work by the organising committee so worth while,” said Mr Blythe.

“So many people remarked on the quality of the exhibits in all classes, which was encouraging because of those taking part had travelled hundreds of miles to be at the show.”

With the centenary show only six years away, the organising committee is already looking for ideas how it might be celebrated.

“It will be a wonderful milestone which we shall be celebrating in style,” said Mr Blythe.

 

Big success with little goats

WHEN DEBBIE Smith married she vowed she would fulfill a promise to herself – to have some pygmy goats.

Until then, said Debbie, her farmer father had given the idea the thumbs down.

But her determination and enthusiasm paid off when she won a string of top awards with her pedigree entries.

Debbie, of Common Lane Farm, Warthill, who has been breeding the appealing little goats for seven years, has 50, and 45 have had kids this year.

“People are now taking them as pets instead of dogs. They are smashing company and are more independent that a dog.”

She rents a field to house the pygmies which are in big demand from adventure farm leisure park businesses, as well as individuals. As well as looking after her goat herd, Debbie and her family also have poultry andrare breed sheep.

 

Adam spreading the word

UNDERTAKER Adam Collier pursues two main hobbies after he closes the door on his Helmsley funeral parlour.

For as a complete change from his professional life, Adam raises money for charity by giving Yorkshire dialect talks – and breeding award winning rabbits and guinea pigs.

Adam recently raised £1,000 when he played at Pickering’s Kirk Theatre in aid of its running costs, relating a catalogue of stories and verses in the centuries old-dialect.

He also helped the village hall at Slingsby raise another £350 with a similar talk.

He organised the fur and feather section of Thornton-le-Dale Show which attracted a record 440 entries with some of the country’s top breeders taking part.

A breeder since his teens, Adam was also a steward at the same sections at Malton and Ryedale shows last month and his busy life sees him looking after 33 rabbits and 50 guinea pigs, many of which have an array of awards to their credit.

But while he prides himself in having hutches of award-winning rabbits and guinea pigs, his Yorkshire dialect talks have won him many friends and intrigued enthusiasts of the language, some of which dates back to Viking times.

The dialect is still strong among the country folk living in the uplands of the North Yorkshire Moors, said Adam, but it is dying out. “Some people feel embarrassed at speaking in the dialect,” he said.

Adam gave his first dialect talk at the age of just 14 at school and word quickly spread of his talent in mastering the fascinating language, with bookings from WI’s and other village groups.

“I don’t think you can teach someone to speak the dialect – they have got to have a bit of a twang in their voice,” said Adam.

But he hopes that enthusiasts will share his enthusiasm for it in the future.

He has shared a platform with another expert in the dialect, Doreen Wardle, the Gazette & Herald’s correspondent for Harome.

 

Tent is pitch perfect

ENTRIES were so high in the horticulture, handicrafts, dairy, baking and floral art classes that a 40ft extension had to be added to enable them all to be exhibited.

Liz Cowley, secretary of the section of the show, said: “As a result we had a very good day. The entries were outstanding and we got a lot of praise from the judges, many of whom were of national standard in their particular field.”

One, a leading judge at the Chelsea Flower Show, had said that entries in the carrot and cucumber clases were so good they would have won at the prestigious international London show.

“Our entries have come from all parts of the country, as well as from the local villages,” said Liz who has been running the multi-exhibit marquee classes for 16 years.

“We were especially pleased to see so many children taking part – the standard of their work is wonderful.

Children like to be competitive and it augurs well for the future of the show that they are taking such a keen interest now.”

The marquee, at 380ft long, was one of the biggest at any North Yorkshire show this year, housing the wide range of classes.

“So many people take part to keep the tradition of a rural agricultural and horticultural show thriving. If they win that’s a real bonus,” said Liz.

 

Trials success

WHEN Leslie Jones decided to hang up his cricket bat and pads and retired from playing cricket for Wrelton, he decided to pursue a new career – sheep dog trialling.

The former lorry driver for haulage company, GE Smith of Pickering, who spent 25 years working in the nurseries of Rogers Roses, is a self-taught sheep dog trialler.

Hours of patience and daily training, paid dividends, said Leslie who had his prize-winning faithful Border collie, Bess, taking part in the trials at Thornton-le-Dale Show.

He bought Bess as an eight-weekold pup and has seen her compete successfully in many trials around Yorkshire. He dispelled the myth that a pup needs to be trained alongside a veteran trial dog.

“They want to be on their own,” said Leslie, adding that a 10-15 minute training session was needed every day.

He has six dogs and has competed in several national championships, but, has yet to make the English national team and compete internationally.Raising profileSTAFF from Scarborough and Ryedale Carers Resource said they had been able to make contact with people who would benefit from their services at the show.

The charity provides confidential support, advice and information to carers as well as events and activities.

Emma Teasdale, support and information officer, said it had been a busy and productive day.

“Having a stand here certainly helps raise awareness of what we do and to make contact with people who we can offer support and advice to,” she said.

For more information on Scarborough and Ryedale Carers Resource phone 01723 850155 or visit www.carersresource.net

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