Country Crafts, Sheep, Horses

After a very wet week in the Fylde the rain stopped on Saturday morning, just in time for the opening of Great Eccleston Agricultural Show. All the drainage and road building that has been done on the show field over the past few years certainly proved its worth. The ground coped well with the estimated 35,000 people who visited the show over the weekend and by Sunday afternoon, whatever was happening elsewhere in Lancashire, the sun was shining brightly on Great Eccleston.
This show in the heartland of the Fylde in Lancashire once more justified its reputation as the premium two-day agricultural event in the North West. The judges in all sections commented favourably on the number and quality of entries.

Following a tradition that started away back in the 19th century, the Shire horse once again took pride of place at Great Eccleston. This year, with some sixty high-class entries, the line up of these gentle giants was second to none. Judging between them proved particularly difficult but the championship was eventually awarded to a barren mare ‘Styal Devine Gift’ belonging to O.C. Whittaker and Sons, while W. Bedford’s stallion ‘Brown Royd Dark Shadow’ was selected as the one to qualify for the national ‘Shire Horse of the Year’.
There was a big turn out of quality cattle on both days - black and white Holsteins and doe-eyed Jerseys in the dairy section on Saturday, and sturdy beef animals on Sunday. Sheep were well represented with Suffolk, Texel, Charrollais, Swaledale and Zwartbles breeds on show the first day, followed by the rare and primitive sheep breeds and a goat show on Sunday. The pig section again proved a great attraction with some forty entries this year, and the poultry marquee was full with more than two hundred birds and a hundred eggs entered.

There was a particularly strong entry in the cheese section, with fifty cheeses entered by cheese makers from all over the North West. Dewlay of Garstang took both the supreme award with their ‘Tasty Lancashire’ cheese, together with the reserve place won with a blue veined cheese.

Tractors have a high profile at Great Eccleston. This year there was a great display of the latest technology in the trade stands. In another area eighty-five vintage tractors, lovingly restored by local enthusiasts, mustered for their grand parade. The Tractor Pulling competition is a unique feature of Great Eccleston Show and draws enthusiastic supporters in their thousands. This year the slopes above the tractor-pulling track were packed for the dragster contests held both afternoons. The crowds enjoyed an exciting weekend. There were competitions for everything from mini-tractors and lorries, up to 4½ ton custom-built dragsters packing nine thousand horsepower. The final heavyweight bout finished with a win for the popular local champion, Brian Armistead, driving ‘Desperate Dan’.

The light horse section was particularly strong. Moving the junior show jumping to the main ring on Saturday afternoon proved popular with riders and visitors alike, and the senior jump-off that concluded the show on Sunday held a huge crowd round the main ring to the very end.
In the marquees there were and some 4,000 entries in handicraft, horticulture, domestic science, art and photography, as well as a very well-supported children’s section. The quality of the handicrafts, like the fine woollens produced by the Fydle Heddle and Treadle group, would stand comparison anywhere.
Woodcraft, in all is aspects, has a special place in this year’s show, with everything from advice in tree planting and willow weaving to demonstrations of wood turning and logging power tools.

Altogether there was an astonishing amount to take in – even over two days.