Glanton Show 2017
Glanton Show Saturday 12th August 2017
Despite a rather wet morning the weather for this year’s show brightened up and the dampness was soon chased away so that those attending enjoyed a warm and pleasant afternoon.
The exhibition tent was crammed full, and those entering were greeted by the heady scents of sweet peas. The many visitors inspected the fruits of the hard work put in growing produce, baking, jam-making, stitching and crocheting, drawing and painting, photographing, composing poems and limericks, carving sticks – a total of about 750 entries in about 150 classes and all of an impressive calibre.
Another tent housed the trade stalls and attractions like the Smallholders Association, face-painting, food stands etc. Outside the options were to have a go at archery, a rifle range, view the classic cars, chat to the Northumberland College from Kirkley Hall and view the ever popular Companion Dog Show.
Main ring attractions were demonstrations of sheepdogs herding geese and ducks which were deemed very amusing and the hounds of the West Percy Hunt welcoming all comers to come and get close to these surprisingly affectionate and nice-natured dogs who seem to love the attentions of small children especially. The 25 piece band of the Alnwick Playhouse played a selection of film themes and signature tunes and the entertainment culminated in the Terrier racing which is a very loose description of multi-breed mayhem as some dogs took the chase seriously, whilst others took the opportunity offered by a few leash-free minutes to make their own exploration of the showground.
The hill raced served to remind some of us how unfit we are as we watched the athletes sprinting for the finish, and the pony sports showed the horsemen and women of the next generation showing impressive levels of skill and determination.
All in all it was a lovely afternoon, a relaxed show with plenty going on and lots of friends to meet and although the weather could have been kinder to start with it all ended well.
All the above photos were kindly taken for the show by Martin Ellis