With just weeks to go to the 150th Great Yorkshire Show, preparations are well underway to make the event one of the best in the Show’s history.

Making his debut will be The Great Lorenzo

More than 120,000 visitors are expected to flock to the North of England’s flagship country event which runs from Tuesday 8 to Thursday 10 July at the Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate.

Organisers, the Yorkshire Agricultural Society, have announced that trade stand space has sold out in record time, the waiting list has had to be closed and bookings are only being taken either for next year or for the show’s sister event, Countryside Live in October.

Honorary Show Director, Bill Cowling said: “We are absolutely delighted to have such strong support from our trade stand exhibitors. The show is always a “sell out” but this year, the space has gone far quicker than usual. We have several hundred businesses on the waiting list so have decided that it’s best not to add any more to what is already a very long list. Entries in our livestock section are also coming in well, so we are all set for a superb three days.”

There are a host of special attractions planned to celebrate the 150th show – and a Royal visit to ensure 2008 is a year to remember. HM The Queen and HRH The Duke of Edinburgh will be present on Thursday 10 July. This will be the Queen’s fourth visit – her first was as Princess Elizabeth in 1952. She was the Society’s Patron from 1952 to 1998 before handing over the role to The Prince of Wales.

Around the showground there will be exhibits as varied as 150 years of bridal fashion to 150 years of farming, courtesy of the York Museums Trust.

For the first time there will be a 30 foot show wheel based on the London Eye, hot air balloons, a feature of small show gardens, a full size Spitfire, and more cookery demonstrations than ever. In the main ring, superb show jumping is on the agenda and making his debut will be The Great Lorenzo - one man and a dozen horses creating a spectacular equestrian display.

“The Great Yorkshire Show is a wonderful celebration of the countryside and a great day out it’s a superb mix of livestock classes and exciting ring displays, shopping and fashion, education and fun,” said Mr Cowling. “The Great Yorkshire Show has a wonderful reputation for quality and quantity and 2008 will certainly reinforce that.”

The Great Yorkshire Show

• This year will be the 150th Great Yorkshire Show.
• The first show, a one day event, was held in York in August 1838.
• Like other agricultural shows, it was peripatetic until the Harrogate showground was purchased for £16,500 in 1950.
• The all time record attendance stands at 135,111, established in 2006.
• The record number of entries was set last year, at 11,789.
• The Show is organised by the Yorkshire Agricultural Society
• For more information please see www.yas.co.uk or www.greatyorkshireshow.co.uk

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