THE Yorkshire Shepherdess Amanda Owen is to appear as a special guest at a celebration of food, farming and rural life, Countryside Live.

The Sunday Times bestselling author, Amanda, runs a 2,000 acre farm with 1,000 sheep and nine children in a remote spot near Keld in Swaledale. Her books on life as a Yorkshire shepherdess have sold world wide and she appears regularly on television with appearances on Countrywise, The Dales, All Over the Workplace and Ben Fogle’s New Lives in the Wild.

Fans can meet Amanda during the two-day Countryside Live event at the Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate. She will be signing her books and calendar and speaking on stage on Saturday, October 20.

Amanda said: “I am absolutely delighted to have been invited to Countryside Live.

“It promises to be a truly fascinating event, both educational and enjoyable, where people can gather together to celebrate our infinitely varied and diverse English countryside.

“It is a great honour to be given the opportunity to provide an insight into what life as a hill shepherdess entails, what it is like to be responsible for ‘working the view’ rural living and how farming has shaped the iconic Yorkshire Dales landscape.”

Now in its 16th year, Countryside Live usually attracts around 12,000 visitors across two days. As well as family activities, there are 2,000 animals who converge on the showground over the two days to compete.

From horses to honey, pigs to poultry, sheep to cattle, pigeons to rabbits there are competitions and classes throughout the weekend. Elsewhere there’s birds of prey displays, hundreds of stands to browse, horticultural classes and farriery competitions.

This year’s event will be taking place on Saturday, October 20 and Sunday, October 21.

Show Director Charles Mills said: “Amanda is a wonderful ambassador for farming and we look forward to hearing about her life and welcoming her to Countryside Live, a very special event which showcases the very best of food, farming and the countryside.”