The village country show has been a part of our British culture for several generations I love the Kilnsey show (Pictured above) held in upper Wharfedale on the Tuesday following the August Bank holiday each year. It is everything a country show should be, local businesses selling their huge range of wares from food to tractors and harvesters, Local organisations promoting what they do, competitions for baking, flower arranging, fruit and veg growing, arts and crafts and once in the show, it is easy to whittle away a day being entertained. The highlight of the day for many is the crag run, where the hardiest of fell runners scale the steep path alongside the one hundred- and seventy-feet high crag and possibly even more daring, they run back down.
For me, the show is a day of pure entertainment and total indulgence, I have been there in the blazing sunshine and when we have been knee-deep in mud and enjoyed it just the same. For the local farmers and trades people, shows like this are a vital part of their annual calendar, it is the place where they make valuable trade deals and make enough money to keep them going for a while in increasingly challenging times, for the farmers it is the place where they show their prized cattle in the hope of winning awards to enhance their chances of selling stock, for young show jumpers, it is the time when they can cut their teeth for future careers, for the charities, it is the place where they can raise funds for the excellent work they do and for thousand of people like me, it is a day out in some of the most stunning scenery in the country.
Sadly, the village shows are under threat, not just because of Covid, although that hasn’t helped. Gradually the handful of committed people who have injected energy, time and money into these events are getting older and younger generations are not there to pick up the reigns and gradually, one by one, these wonderful events are closing down and once they go, the chances are they will never come back and that saddens me. In much the same way, other essential parts of community life disappear, pubs, village shops and Churches close, for much the same reason and if we want to hang on to the things that matter, then we have to do three things. Firstly, we need to get involved and do what we can, secondly, we need to support, by actually using our local facilities and thirdly, we need to support financially.
I believe that community is essential and during these times of isolation, we have perhaps all come to value time spent with people, and I hope that as we work through this current period of Lockdown, we might all take the opportunity to build up our most valued communities for future generations, that they might also enjoy what we enjoy.