Minister calls into the Great Yorkshire Showground and Fodder

Caroline Spelman, Secretary of State for Defra, called into the Regional Agricultural Centre at the Great Yorkshire Showground  today (Monday 6 Feb) to meet representatives from the Yorkshire rural and farming community, including the Yorkshire Food, Farming and Rural Network. She was met by Steve Willis, Chair of the Network and Nigel Pulling, Chief Executive of the hosts the Yorkshire Agricultural Society. The Minister also had the chance to look around Fodder, the Society’s food emporium, where she met Paul Nicholson, Head Butcher and chatted to Kate Lockwood, at the Cheese counter about Yorkshire cheeses.

Media contact: Judy Thompson, PR Manager, Yorkshire Agricultural Society – judyt@yas.co.uk or 01423 546215.

YORKSHIRE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY: 

The Yorkshire Agricultural Society was formed in 1837 and is a charity dedicated to supporting the farming industry and rural life. The value of the support it provides to regional farming and countryside initiatives has risen year on year to almost £1m. It is based at the Regional Agricultural Centre, Harrogate; the RAC includes Fodder, the Society’s regional food shop and café which opened in June 2009. Both the RAC and Fodder have won a number of awards, including in 2010, being named as the Observer Monthly Best Independent Local Retailer.

The Society is the organiser of England’s premier agricultural show, the Great Yorkshire Show and its sister event, Countryside Live. The 2012 Great Yorkshire Show runs from Tuesday 10 – Thursday 12 July and last year’s event attracted 135,086 visitors. The record attendance is 135,111, established in 2006. Countryside Live takes place on Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 October 2012 at Harrogate and there were a record breaking 10,700 visitors to the 2011 event.

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