FOLLOWING days of near constant rain, Ryedale Show opened to sunshine and light winds.

An emergency meeting had been held on Saturday, with organisers concerned the show would have to be cancelled due to the unseasonal weather. However, the decision was made to go ahead and after a dry Monday organisers breathed a sign of relief.

This year’s show, which is held at Welburn Park, near Kirkbymoorside, also saw a number of new faces.

Keira Sirr-Hovendon joined the team as secretary, following the retirement of Christine Thompson, who stepped down from her post after the 2022 show.

Other new section secretaries include Jo Dowson, who has taken over from Malcolm Leckenby as produce secretary after his 30-year stint. Kirsty Kirk has joined the team as children’s secretary. Rachel Adams has taken over as livestock secretary and Holly Gibson has taken on the brand new role of sponsorship secretary.

Keira said: “We did have some concerns following the constant wet weather but in the end decided we had to go ahead and it’s been a wonderful day.

“Everything had gone really well and everyone seems to have enjoyed the day. It has been a bit stressful but I have certainly enjoyed playing a part and hope to be back next year.”

Ryedale Show has one of the highest number of livestock entries to any show in Yorkshire, a large number of horse competitions, a wide array of craft, trade and local food stalls, sheep dog trials, vintage machinery, children’s activities and more.

The show has experienced a number of changes in recent years, with online shows during the two Covid years of 2020 and 2021, and the introduction of online entries for 2022’s in-person show.

New livestock secretary Rachel said entries were up on the majority of classes, with the event showcasing more than 40 breeds of sheep, cows, pigs and goats, with over 1,000 animals entered.

“We are back to pre-Covid levels with 1,155 sheep compared to 894 last year, 144 cows, up from 127, 38 pigs this year and 20 last, and 49 goats compared to 29 in 2022. We have also had entries from across Yorkshire and further afield, which is great.”

l Ryedale Show reports and photos: pages 2, 3 and 4.