Great days

It’s not everyone who can say that they’ve cancelled the Queen. But that is exactly what Christopher Hall had to do in 2001 when foot and mouth put a stop to that year’s Great Yorkshire Show. ‘Writing that letter to the Queen was a unique experience,’ he said. ‘I never imagined I would ever invite her to an event, and I certainly never expected to have the task of telling her not to come to one.’ He readily admits that 2001 was not a good year for the show. Cancelling the event cost Yorkshire Agricultural Society more than £1 million pounds and reflected the gloomy atmosphere of the agricultural industry as a whole. ‘Farming was in a terrible state,’ said Mr Hall, who was honorary director of the Great Yorkshire Show for seven years and is the current president. ‘That was definitely a low very point for the show as well as for me personally.’ Fortunately, he enjoyed more good days than bad during his tenure. He played host to Prince Charles, patron of Yorkshire Agricultural Society, during his first show, accompanying the royal around the Great Yorkshire Showground. Among his other personal highs were a day with guest of honour Prince Andrew in 2002 and the first Countryside Live event in October 2003, which he played a pivotal role in launching. ‘The highest high point for me was my last show in 2005,’ he continued. ‘We achieved record attendance figures that year. The show was going from strength to strength – and still is. ‘I can quite imagine that in another 100 years time we will be celebrating the 250th anniversary of the show. It has a very special place in the history of Yorkshire and will continue to by an integral part of its future. It’s part of the very substance of the county.’ This year’s show – the 150th – will be held at the showground in Harrogate from July 8th -10th. The main ring will host top class show jumping, impressive cattle parades, hot air balloons and, in complete contrast, a fast and furious stunt riding display by The Great Lorenzo and his horses. The show will feature no fewer than five cookery theatres this year with everything from tasty game recipes to presentations inspired by Mrs Beeton. A host of chefs will be turning up the heat in the Great Yorkshire Cookery Theatre, including well-known local names like Richard Allen, head chef at Harvey Nichols, Leeds; Bruce Elsworth of The Angel at Hetton; and Robert Ramsden and Tim Cotterill, both former winners of the Great Yorkshire Chef of the Year competition. Deliciouslyorkshire, the campaigning brand which aims to increase awareness of the fantastic range of food and drink from the region, will be hosting a packed line-up of food heroes at this year’s show. Television cook and Yorkshire Life food and wine consultant Annie Stirk.will be hosting the Deliciouslyorkshire Cookery Theatre, in association with the Yorkshire Agricultural Society, where there will be regular daily inspirational cookery demonstrations and tutorials. See www.decliciouslyorkshire.co.uk for full details and timetable. Over in The Gallery, there will be a new exhibition by Yorkshire-based photographers Robert O’Connor, Nikki Bowling and Emma Hammond. There will also be a display of Yorkshire Life readers’ photographs of past Great Yorkshire Shows. And, of course, Christopher Hall will be there in his role as president. ‘It’s a great pleasure and an enormous privilege to still be involved in the show,’ he said. ‘This year I will be doing what all presidents do: patting babies’ heads and handing out prizes. Marvellous.’

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