THOUSANDS flocked to an iconic showground to celebrate all things rural in a family-friendly weekend event.

This year’s Countryside Live, held at the Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate, had a new look after forming a partnership with The Yorkshire Vet and Channel 5.

Advance ticket sales were at a record breaking high, with more than double the amount sold compared to last year.

Julian Norton and Peter Wright, stars of the hit documentary series, welcomed crowds to the Yorkshire Vet Shop where they signed books and calendars.

They launched pub quizzes in pop up pub the Drovers Arms where there was live music three times a day.

On Sunday, they took part in three live Yorkshire Vet shows hosted by BBC Radio personality Georgey Spanswick in the Main Ring.

Elsewhere, children gathered in the Create and Explore area with hands-on workshops as well as the new Milkshake! Live show.

Organised by the Yorkshire Agricultural Society, the two-day event retained its competitive classes, which have been running at the ground for 14 years.

It was a weekend of competitions with local winners as The Northern Show Cross Junior Team title went to the Kildale Wonder Women.

The team was made up of Rachel and Sarah Proudly and Lilly Aspell, from Richmond, who played the young Wonder Woman in the new DC Comics/Warner Bros feature film released in the summer, after which the team was named.

The Ridden Coloured Championship went to Charlotte Merrigan Martin of Barnard Castle with Solaris Dwenqua, an eight-year-old skewbald mare by Quarterback.

The Supreme Pigeon Championship went to showground regular Richard Henderson, of Malton, with a Thuringian Spot.

It was a first win for Richard, who has been showing at the Great Yorkshire Show and Countryside Live for 35 years, and a first win for the pigeon at its first show.

The Juvenile Championship was won by 11-year-old Grace Wilson of Ulceby with an Old Dutch Owl.

In the Honey classes, the Best Exhibit in All Classes was scooped by Kath Brown of Carlton, near Pontefract, for her decorative beeswax flowers, and the Yorkshire Herald Cup for the most points in the show went to Graham Browster of Yorkshire Beekeepers.