Countryside Live

Countryside Live is the little sister event of the annual farming and rural showcase, the Great Yorkshire Show. Held each October at the Great Yorkshire Showground on the edge of the spa town of Harrogate, England, the two-day event is designed to act as a shop window for the farming industry and to be an enjoyable family day out. The show has been organised by the Yorkshire Agricultural Society every year since it was first held in 2001.

There are competitive classes for cattle, sheep, poultry, pigeons, horses, ponies and pigs. The region’s Young Farmers' Club take an active part in the show, organising a Tug of War championship and stock judging competitions, and there are demonstrations of country skills such as dry stone walling and forestry. Around the site there are a wide range of stands, many of which sell local food and drink. Other attractions include a fruit and vegetable show, honey show, dog agility, an activities area with plenty of FREE hands-on activities for children, Diggerland, archery skills, ferret racing and plenty more.

Graham & Tina Fletcher also search for the next Talented Show Jumper, where young riders compete for the title in the indoor Show Jumping Arena.

Countryside Live began in 2001 and has been held annually since then. The first event was launched after the outbreak of Foot and Mouth disease.

In 2008, Equine classes were added to the programme and have proved popular. Demonstrations of horsemanship and show jumping master classes are given by ex-Olympic equestrian Graham Fletcher and his wife, Tina, an International Show Jumper.

The 2009 show, held on 24 and 25 October, introduced several new competitive classes. These included farriery, classes for both modern and traditional breeds of pigs, and classes for novice horse riders.

In 2010, a record crowd of 10,221 visitors attended the event. Over all there were 226 entries in the equine section for 2010. The two-day event took place on 23 and 24 October 2010.

The "Festival of British Fruit" was held at the show in 2011. This is an annual event, which was also celebrating its ninth year. It is organised by the Marden Fruit Society, based in Kent, and is held at a different location each year. More than 25 different varieties of apples and nine varieties of pears were on show, with visitors being invited to choose their favourite, although the final selection of "Britain's Tastiest Apple" was decided by a panel of experts. The annual search for a young show-jumping star was judged by Graham and Tina Fletcher, and the environmental charity BTCV, now The Conservation Volunteers, gave a small tree to everyone who attended the show. Special venues for the benefit of young children included The StoryBarn and a farmyard experience area. The show was attended by around 10,700 visitors.

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