THE agricultural show described as the best in the moors drew visitors from far and wide on Monday.

The 111th Farndale Agricultural, Horticultural and Industrial Show took place on Bank Holiday Monday on the Showfield in Church Houses in Farndale.

The weather was slightly overcast and blustery but crowds built throughout the morning and into the afternoon to see a huge variety of livestock, produce, displays and traders selling their wares.

Gill Little, show secretary, said: “It’s good that the weather’s held up and numbers picked up as the day has gone on. There’s a nice friendly atmosphere going on.

“People love it - they say it’s the best small dales show, which is nice.”

She added that entry numbers were up in some categories - particularly among the poultry - and down in others, but that they tend to rise and fall over the years. “We had more poultry than last year because there was some flu virus going around last year. So they’re up but other places are down, but it ebbs and flows with entries,” she said.

“You tend to find if there’s a lot of entries in one class one year, no-one will enter it next year because they think ‘I’ll never win that’, so they don’t enter.

“And then when there’s nothing in a class everyone says, ‘oh we’ll enter that one’, because no-one ever enters. So it ebbs and flows.

“It’s nice to have Adam Collier doing the compering - keeping it local - and it’s nice to have Philippa Williams back. Hopefully we’ll have more pony riding next year.”

In the top field, across a brook, showing took place in an array of horse and equestrian categories. A small cluster of sheep momentarily broke free at one stage and ran into the top field to begin grazing, but they were quickly rounded up and shepherded back to their pen by a group of bystanders and show volunteers.

As in previous years, a dog obedience show was put on in the main ring by Philippa Williams and her team from Dogs for Life, who are regular attendees at Crufts. There was also music from the Bilsdale Silver Band, which - among brass band standards - played a wide array of arrangements, including David Bowie’s Life on Mars.

Adam Collier guided visitors through the day on the PA system, and as before he was joined by David Hinde, Helmsley’s award-winning town crier.

There were also games for all the family including the popular bale-push and tug-of-war, and displays of an assortment of birds of prey.