25/05/07
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
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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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