£500k to make show weather-proof Expert talks (From Darlington and Stockton Times)

£500k to make show weather-proof Expert talks

3:27pm Friday 1st March 2013 in Farming

THE organisers of the Great Yorkshire Show are planning to make it as weather-proof as possible following a disastrous show last year.

The 2012 show – now England’s biggest agricultural event – fell victim to torrential rain and lost two days after much of the car-parking became totally unusable.

But this year the Yorkshire Agricultural Society is determined the situation will not be repeated – and has set aside some £500,000 in an attempt to ensure it doesn’t happen again.

Chief executive Nigel Pulling said: “It was heartbreaking to have to cancel the show, so we’ll be doing as much as we can to maintain what is the country’s finest farming showcase.”

Groundworks are already under way to put in extra roadways, drainage systems and hard standing around car park gateways.

In addition, the society is looking at acquiring a number of pieces of land to boost car parking capacity.

“We obviously can’t control the weather but we will be doing our best to make the show as weatherproof as we can,” said Mr Pulling.

This year’s show will be held at the Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate from July 9 to 11 and tickets have now gone on sale.

“Schedules for the competition classes are currently prepared and applications for exhibition space are being processed,” he said.

“The response from our trade stand holders has been terrific. We’ve already got a waiting list of people who we’re trying to accommodate, around 92 per cent of exhibitors have re-booked, which is a marvellous vote of confidence in the show.”

This will be the 155th Great Yorkshire Show and it will be 175 years since the first show was held. The discrepancy arrives due to shows being cancelled for various reasons.

Book tickets at greatyorkshireshow.co.uk or (01423) 541222.