Weeton Show faces 'critical' year if its current format is to survive
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Hide AdUnseasonable downpours blighted Weeton Show last year, meaning it attracted far fewer visitors than usual. Gate receipts were down by at least 80 per cent and, as a result, the show recorded a financial loss.
The situation left the show’s committee without the funds it had been relying on to make a donation to the show’s nominated charity for 2018, Harrogate-based horticultural organisation, Horticap.
With the intention of putting that right, the charity has been chosen as beneficiaries for this year’s show which returns on Sunday from 8am.
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Hide AdShow committee chairman Paula Ware said she hoped visitor numbers recovered, fearing that another poor attendance will seriously risk damaging the show’s format in 2020.
“This is a critical year for the show,” she said. “We maintain a contingency fund to allow for unforeseen events, but after last year’s poor weather the show made a significant loss.
“Because of this, we couldn’t fulfil our promise of a donation to our partner charity, Horticap, so this year we need to have a good show, with lots of visitors, to raise enough money for a significant donation to them.”
As reported in The Yorkshire Post earlier this year, the county’s 60-plus annual agricultural shows generate a “substantial” amount of money for communities, but their value to the economy has never been calculated.
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Hide AdMs Ware explained that Weeton Show is different to a lot of others, saying: “Unlike many shows, our primary purpose is to raise money for local charities, so it’s vital that the show goes well.
“If we don’t have a profitable show, we risk not being able to put on the show in its usual form next year.”
Weeton Show takes place between Otley and Harrogate in a showfield off Weeton Lane. It includes traditional horse, sheep, dog and poultry classes, and a produce tent featuring entries in competitions for fruit, flowers, vegetables and crafts.
There will also be a gun dogs demonstrations and scurry, the Rougemont Chase foot race and entertainment for children including a Punch and Judy show.