5:20pm Tuesday 8th September 2009
By Daniel Orr
ORGANISERS of the biggest agricultural event in the region are gearing up for their best ever year after investing heavily in the infrastructure.
Thousands of people are expected to descend on Crooklands showfield when the Westmorland County Show takes over the Crooklands site on Thursday.
And they will be able to get around easier as organisers have spent £75,000 on a new hard surface road network and transformed the layout.
The roads provide easier access on and off the field for the many trade stands, and also mean that should the infamous Lake District rain arrive, the show can go on without a hitch.
Christine Knipe, Westmorland County Agricultural Society chief executive, said: “We have had calls this week from people who think it has been either cancelled, postponed or moved to the auction mart.
"We just want to stress that everything is going according to plan and the show is definitely going ahead.
“We generate almost £2 million into the local economy and the event industry is so important in South Lakeland.
“We still have lots of grass so we are not taking anything away from that, but with the change in climate we needed to make the show more sustainable in future.
"Last year we spent £45,000 on metal tracking and we cannot afford to do that every year.”
Ninety per cent of all trade stands will be accessible from the hard roads, meaning showgoers will not have to trawl through the mud to buy their goods if it rains.
Mrs Knipe added: “It is an excellent site and the network should also help events such as the Lakeland Rose Show, and Country Fest.
“It costs the society almost £200,000 to put the show on – 85 per cent of that is spent locally.
"We are a not-for-profit organisation so if there is a surplus it’s reinvested.
“Some years we make money, other years, like last year, we lose some, so we have to make sure we have reserves.
“We are really excited about this year’s show. A lot of work goes into it and we just can’t wait to get started."
THIS year’s show president says she is honoured to have been given the prestigious title – and now she cannot wait for the day to arrive.
Doreen Galbraith, of Natland, has attended the show since her teens when she used to help her farming father, Thomas Prickett, with his entries.
More than 40 years ago, she began showing in the cookery and craft contests in the Women’s Institute tent and has attended ever since, becoming a member of the Westmorland County Agricultural Society along the way.
And now fellow committee members have rewarded her for her dedication by naming her show president for 2009.
The former Cumbria and Westmorland WI president said: “I am really looking forward to the show.
“It is a great honour to be asked to be president and I never expected it.”
A member of Natland and Oxenholme WI, as well as Preston Patrick and Preston Richard WI, Mrs Galbraith gets involved with several agricultural shows in the region.
She says she hopes the smaller events can continue in the future despite many of them suffering cancellations in recent years due to summers of torrential rain and livestock diseases.
She added: “I like to think that a lot of the smaller shows will survive and get the support they need and deserve.“ Mrs Galbraith will spend Westmorland County Show day touring the huge showfield, and meeting friends old and new before presenting trophies in the show ring during the grand parade at the end of proceedings.
“It’s great to be involved,” she added. “We just are hoping for a nice fine day.
“That’s all we really want to see so we can all enjoy meeting everybody and see people having a nice time.”
AFTER a successful debut in 2008, the alpaca show will return with a whopping 97 per cent increase in the number of animals taking part.
Last year’s Westmorland County Show featured the first-ever short fleece alpaca contest in the country, and its return will see 110 alpacas competing.
Co-ordinator Brian Raine, of Crosthwaite, believes interest in the furry creatures is on the rise.
“Last year was our first one and we had more than 60 entries so it was a big success,” he said.
“It was very well received by the people who competed and by the general public. Word has now got around among the alpaca-keeping community and so we have even more entries.
“The challenge in the past was that because alpacas are shorn in June, there wasn’t enough time for their hair to grow back in time for the shows, so that is why we tried the short fleece show last year.” And after that success, now there are plans for a similar show in October in Yorkshire.
Mr Raine, who owns Town End Alpacas, added: “Somebody had to be the path finder to see if it would work. We were the ones to do that, and it was successful.
“One of the key things is that there is an increasing number of people keeping alpacas as pets or for breeding, and people enjoy showing off their animals.”
VISITORS to this year’s Westmorland County Show will be able to gain a fascinating insight into the daily life of cattle.
The temporary home for cows and bulls during the agricultural extravaganza has moved from its usual spot near the Westmorland County Agricultural Society’s base to a more spacious and comfortable location, where people can see them being milked and prepared.
“There are two reasons we have moved it,” said chief executive Christine Knipe. “We needed to upgrade our washing and handling facilities and in doing so, we have made them more visible to the public which we feel is important.
“It is costing us more money, another £3,000 a year, but it is worth it.”
The move also means that cattle will be shown in the main ring rather than in a separate, smaller area as in previous years, allowing more spectators to see the competitions and find out who judges believe should be the Supreme Champion.
THIS year’s Westmorland County Show will see the launch of a new festival aimed at stoking up interest in one of the oldest and most important practices in England.
The launch of the first Cumbria Woodland and Forestry Festival will be incorporated into the County Show and aims to promote “all things wood”.
Edward Mills, one of the organisers, said: “This will be for anybody and everybody.
“We are really looking forward to it. People will be able to see gates being made and wood turning and much more.”
Show chief executive Christine Knipe said: “A lot of people do not appreciate the amount of wood companies we have in the county.”
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