Stunning Stained Glass Panel Makes its Showground Debut
A medieval art form has been used to stunning effect, with the presentation of a stained glass panel to the Yorkshire Agricultural Society - best known as the organiser of the annual Great Yorkshire Show and its sister event, Countryside Live.
Michael Bannister, a former President, commissioned the panel from York artist Julia Spall to mark his year in office and it was handed over to the Society’s Chief Executive, Nigel Pulling. The panel, which depicts the Society’s crest, will hang in the Board Room of the offices at the Great Yorkshire Showground.
Mr Bannister said: “I’ve been involved in the Society for many years and wanted to present something permanent to mark my year of office. The crest is iconic and it’s fascinating to see it reproduced in this context. The workmanship is very impressive and the panel works extremely well. ”
Mr Bannister was the Society’s President in 2009/10 but over the years has been very involved in the Hound section of the Great Yorkshire Show. He was chief steward of the Terrier Section for some 20 years and was also chairman of the Harrier Committee. In addition he is a member of the Foxhound Committee. He and his wife Ethne live at Coniston Cold, near Skipton.
Ms Spall said it had been a challenging but rewarding piece of work. “The Society’s crest is a very bold clear image which is wonderful but it means the panel has to be exactly right. Stained glass is a very traditional technique which dates back to medieval times and I’ve used painted detail and lead on the panel, and also quite a lot of silver staining to get the wonderful golden colour of the Society’s crown and belt. You see silver staining a lot in all the big cathedrals, so it’s in good company!”
With a background in fine art, Ms Spall worked for York Glaziers Trust for six years, including working on restoration painting in York Minster and some of the Oxford colleges. She now runs her own business, Julia Spall Stained Glass.
ENDS
Judy Thompson, PR Manager on 01423 546215 or email judyt@yas.co.uk
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 has won a number of awards, including in 2010, being named as the Observer Monthly Best Independent Local Retailer, and most recently it has been chosen as a finalist in the Taste of England category of the 2012 VisitEngland Awards for Excellence.
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. This year, Countryside Live takes place on Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 October and in 2011 there were 10,700 visitors to the event.
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