VIEW FROM the TOP

Allister Nixon, CEO of The Yorkshire Agricultural Society, on being behind one of the county’s biggest events

By HOLLY PHILLIPS

Q What three things do you love most about Yorkshire?

A I’ve got two dogs, so the countryside is a big draw here. From the Yorkshire Dales to the North York Moors and my favourite area, the Yorkshire coastline, which is absolutely stunning. Secondly, I’d say that Yorkshire is so accessible, we have everything we need living here. From the fantastic countryside, we’ve got great access to culture, sports and activities, to shopping. Thirdly, I’d have to say the people.

Q What did you want to bring to the Great Yorkshire Show?

A This year is the 164th Great Yorkshire Show, so it has fantastic history and tradition behind it. At its core, it’s an agricultural show, so it’s the treasure of Yorkshire. I really don’t want to do anything to jeopardise that. But what we do need to do is constantly look at ways to keep evolving the show so it remains fresh, exciting and interesting for our visitors, and relevant to our farming families. The sheep dog trials are a perfect example of this. We showcased them in the main ring last year and that was so well received that we are looking to have it as a permanent feature of the show this year. We’ve also brought back pole climbing, which is a fantastic spectacle that’s been absent for a couple of years. New to the show, we’ve got a ‘Sheep to Chic’ fashion show to celebrate sheep farming and the versatility of British wool. We’ve also got a new innovation zone at the show that demonstrates today’s higher tech approach to British farming and has displays and talks about the latest agricultural innovations. So it’s really about keeping the show fresh and interesting without losing its tradition and its agricultural core.

Q Why is the show so important for Yorkshire?

A First o , this show is a celebration for Yorkshire. It promotes farming, food and rural life in the county and is a place where families can have a fun, interesting and informative day. There’s something for everyone here at the show. In 2019, we did an economic impact survey of the show, which demonstrated that the Great Yorkshire Show contributed £40m of the Yorkshire economy. For me, the real value of the show goes both beyond the pure finances and numbers. It has a great importance for me because it acts as a fantastic facilitator. By that I mean the show provides opportunities for farming communities to come together. There are so many touch points during the four days of the show, and it o ers great support to farmers all in one place.

Q How does the Yorkshire Agricultural Society strive to inspire the next generation about British agriculture?

A We do a lot in this space because that’s one of the objectives of the society. We try to engage children at a young age. We have a Springtime Live event that’s in April, which hopefully engages the curiosity of our youngest visitors. We try to immerse them in all things farming, food and countryside. Coming up in June, we are going to welcome around 6,000 primary school children to the showground, to our Countryside Days event which is over two days. We have our education discovery zone at the show. We run an Apple Day event at the showground in autumn. Where possible, we are out and about supporting schools and careers fairs. We try to support the next generation of farmers through our future farmer network, which o ers a tremendous opportunity to bring all people in farming together through a social and knowledge exchange event, and we provide training and bursary opportunities through that network.

Q Finally, what does the rest of 2023 have in store?

A The showground and the society are busy all year round. We’ve got our awardwinning facilities (Great Holiday Home Show, Yorkshire Event Centre, Harrogate Caravan Park, for example), so all of these are very busy throughout the year. The next event we’ve got at the showground is the Great Holiday Home Show, which is in September and is set to celebrate the very best of the great outdoors. This is a show that’s been running since 1976 at The Lawns in Hull, which has moved to the showground this year, so it’s got quite a bit of history. It’s really another great family day out. Then, of course, the society works all year round to deliver its objectives and to support and promote agriculture. We have, in autumn, a Women in Farming network, which will host its 10th anniversary gathering. Our future farmers will have an event. We o er teaching training courses now after the show. So there’s a lot going on, there’s a lot of activity throughout the year.