Ready for another great show!

Don`t forget you can access much more about the Great Yorkshire and listen to some fantastic podcast specials from previous years on this site- just type in Great Yorkshire Show into the search bar and see what magic is produced or go directly to podcast specials- meanwhile from Judy Thompson and her ace team of publicists here`s another brief reminder !
There’s just over a week to go until this year’s Great Yorkshire Show opens its gates to visitors – and it’s set to be another huge success.

Held at the Showground on the edge of the spa town of Harrogate, the 151st Show takes place from Tuesday 14 – Thursday 16 July and showcases the very best of British agriculture and rural life.

Along with top-class international showjumping, which culminates on the Thursday afternoon with the prestigious Ripon Select Foods Cock o’ the North Championship, there are hundreds of trade stands and thousands of animals, demonstrations of rural crafts, mouth-watering arrays of regional food and drink, fabulous floral displays and the chance to get hands-on with countryside activities.

This year is a record-breaking show, with more entries in competitive classes than ever before – 2009 sees a total of 12,189 entries compared with the previous best of 11,789 two years ago. The variety of classes ranges from driving four-in-hand coaches to honey, poultry, dairy and the backbone of the event – the cattle, pig and sheep sections.

Honorary Show Director Bill Cowling said: “As well as offering a superb platform for the farming and agricultural industry, we also give the public the opportunity to learn more about rural life and have an enjoyable day out. The Great Yorkshire Show is one of the premier shows on the English calendar and has such a diverse range of attractions – we genuinely have something for all ages.”

One of the main features of this year’s Show is a rare chance to see the ‘Hull and Humber’ – the 68-foot Round the World Clipper yacht sponsored by Yorkshire Forward.

Organisers the Yorkshire Agricultural Society want to make this the greenest show ever so visitors are urged to recycle any plastic bottles in a specially designed skip in the Discovery Zone. In support of the Bettys and Taylors’ Yorkshire Rainforest Project, visitors are also urged to make recycling pledges.

Celebrity chefs Rosemary Shrager and Brian Turner will also be visiting the Show this year, with the former producing some mouth-watering dishes during cooking demonstrations at the Game Cookery Theatre. Environment Secretary Hilary Benn and the Minister for Yorkshire and the Humber, Rosie Winterton MP, are also due to attend and in the showjumping section, no fewer than nine members of the famous Whitaker family have entered

Fashion fans should make their way to the Skipton Building Society Fashion Pavilion, where garments by some of Yorkshire’s best up-and-coming designers will be paraded on the catwalk by models from Louise Morton & Co, Huddersfield. Tuesday also sees the finalists in the Model Young Farmers competition take to the runway, with the winner announced following the 2.30pm show.

For a taste of the very finest Yorkshire produce, head to the Food Hall, and taste the goodies on offer. And don’t forget to make time to browse around the hundreds of trade stands, where many exhibitors will be offering special Show bargains.

Long service to agriculture will be recognised with the Yorkshire Agricultural Society’s annual awards, and the winner of the 2009 Farming Wildlife Advisory Group Tye Trophy for conservation will also be announced on the Wednesday of the Show.

Tickets for the Great Yorkshire Show can be bought in advance until Wednesday 8 July – call the hotline on 01423 541222 or visit www.greatyorkshireshow.co.uk .