THE birth of a new era for the last summer event in the North Yorkshire show calendar was marked by another arrival - that of the incoming chairman’s first grandson.

Farmer and cafe owner Chris Prince, of Pateley Bridge, said this year’s Nidderdale Show was also particularly auspicious with the unveiling of a five-figure onsite building, completed just the day before, to run the event and for meetings throughout the year.

He said both the Nidderdale Agricultural Society and its event highlighted the strength of an incoming flock of young farmers and that with crowds approaching 20,000 attending the show, plans were afoot to increase the amount of car parking.

As the weather stayed fine, throngs of visitors were to be seen at the array of attractions, including the Squibb Freestyle Stunt Show in the main ring.

Crowds also gathered for the finals of the supreme sheep contest, where after some deliberation, judge John Bell, of Weardale, handed the interbreed title to Andrew Fisher, for his Wensleydale two-shear ram.

Mr Fisher, who runs a flock of 350 homebred ewes, 100 pedigree British white cows, alongside some Wensleydale and Teeswater ewes at Low Laithe, said: “It’s something that will only happen once in a lifetime.”

Clare Cropper and John Mellin, who run a 400-acre farm at Long Preston, were also celebrating after landing the supreme beef champion title with their Belgian blue cross heifer, Bonita Beauty.

There was a bitter-sweet sense after the dairy contest, when Andrew Jennings, of Fountains Abbey, scooped the champion title for the third year running.

Mr Jennings said Merrydale SS Polly was the sole survivor of his herd, which he had been forced to sell last year as milk prices fell to 8p a litre.