Alpacas, sheep racing, Shetland ponies and a sheepdog and duck display are just some of the elements adding a different dimension to this year's Great Yorkshire Show with the launch of a new area, Creatures: Great and Small.

Alpacas belonging to the Yorkshire Alpaca Society

In the specially created arena, there will be a daily programme of fun activities giving visitors the opportunity to see animals not usually associated with the event.

The Great Yorkshire Show is the region's largest agricultural event, and takes place this year at the Showground in Harrogate from Tuesday 10 - Thursday 12 July. Last year's event attracted a record-breaking crowd of 135,111.

The show is organised by the Yorkshire Agricultural Society, and Chief Executive, Nigel Pulling said: "I am sure this new area will be very popular, particularly with our younger visitors, and gives a different dimension to the hundreds of classes for livestock elsewhere on the showground. Creatures: Great and Small will be lively, fun and very entertaining."

The daily programme includes terrier racing, sheep racing and a sheep dog and ducks display .Spectators will be encouraged to cheer on their favourites as The Sheep Show's No 3 Team lines up for a one-furlong race to the finish line, or as Cyril the Squirrel and his Racing Terriers tackle National Hunt-style jumps around an end-to-end course.

The Mellin Family Sheepdog & Duck Display from Howarth, West Yorkshire will feature a display of hand-shearing and duck-herding - and youngsters in the audience can expect to be pressed into service as obstacles in the arena!

The Yorkshire Alpaca Society offers a chance to learn more about these gentle, llama-like creatures. Alpacas, Suri and Huacaya will be present, as well as experienced alpaca farmers who will demonstrate how to hand-spin fleeces. Visitors will also be encouraged to have a go at producing alpaca felt and there will be information about the animal's history and care and products to buy.

If you're fascinated by ferrets, then be sure to stop by the East Coast Ferrets stand. The organisation has been rescuing ferrets from the East Yorkshire region for nine years and has successfully re-homed more than 1,000 creatures. The group also works closely with the RSPCA, PDSA and the Blue Cross.

The zone includes a number of static exhibitions, such as the Lineham Farm Children's Centre, which each year enables over 1,200 children enjoy a countryside holiday. As well as information about the charity, Shetland ponies Rolo and Polo will be present to meet visitors, along with small pets including guinea pigs, hens and ducks.

Otters are also much loved animals, and Daphne Neville will be bringing three of her current charges along to the Show. Twins Bertie and Belinda, aged eight and a half, will be joined by six-month-old Rudi Potter, hot on the heels of filming for the latest series of the popular BBC drama, The Chase. As well as delighting visitors, the animals - all Asian short-clawed otters - will help deliver a serious message about how important it is to keep rivers clean and minimise pollution.

Creatures: Great and Small is sponsored by Burgess.

For further information contact the organisers, the Yorkshire Agricultural Society, on 01423 541000 or see www.greatyorkshireshow.co.uk

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