Agricultural show to return after year off

The agricultural show has classes from hay bales to poetry

An agricultural show which had to be cancelled this year due to a lack of volunteers will be back for 2025, organisers have said.

The show, at Tockwith near Harrogate, has been running since the 1940s but "desperately needed new helpers" if it was to continue.

A spokesperson said after people realised they had cancelled it earlier this year, they have received a "lot of offers" of help.

The next Tockwith Show, which will take place on 3 August 2025, will have cows as the main theme but will also feature camel racing, the organisers said.

Committee chair Georgina Watson said:

“We desperately needed new helpers and when people realised that was why the show had to be cancelled this year, we got lots of offers of help which gives us the confidence to know we now have a strong team to put on the show."

She said the year out had enabled the committee to look at what they had been doing and consider other options.

"As a result I am totally confident that next year’s show will have all the aspects that have worked so well in the past, but also some new and exciting ideas."

The show began in the 1940s to raise money for a nearby RAF base after the war

Next year there will be more than 800 competition classes including hay bales, horses, cakes, classic cars, poetry and pigs.

There will be more than 120 trophies and £6,000 in prize money to give out and Ms Watson said they are expecting up to 8,000 attendees.

“Agriculture is such an important part of this region’s economy and heritage and the aim of our show is to ensure visitors not only have a great day out, but also learn about that rich heritage," she said.

The first Tockwith Show was in 1947 to raise money for nearby RAF Marston Moor - and the 12 volunteers raised £58, nearly £3,000 in today's money.

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