THE Lord Lieutenant of North Yorkshire, Lord Crathorne, has been appointed as the new president of the Yorkshire Agricultural Society.

As president, he will represent the society at events around the region, and chair the planning meetings for its high profile event, the Great Yorkshire Show.

Lord Crathorne has been a familiar face at the show for many years, latterly accompanying the many royal visitors during their tours in his capacity as Lord-Lieutenant.

“I am very excited and enormously honoured to be president. It’s particularly significant to me as it was a role my father undertook in 1967,” he said.

“I have always had a great affection for the Great Yorkshire Show and indeed an interest in the Society’s work year-round in raising the profile of farming and rural communities and celebrating farming excellence.”

The show has grown enormously since 1967 - today there are about 2,000 sheep entered, while then there were just over 400 – but the core remains the same.

“Many families who were involved 50 years ago, are still taking part today, either as visitors, sponsors or as exhibitors. And of course the ethos remains the same, to show the best of British farming,” said Lord Crathorne.