Danby Show: The village gathering in the North York Moors for all generations

Les never posted letters as part of his job with the Post Office but is arguably making up for having not done the footwork back in the day with his self-appointed role that saw him given the title of ‘chief runner’, that he’s held since after his first year of helping out a few years back, by show secretary with a sense of humour, Liz Sheard.

“He’s the oldest show runner in the business,” says Wendy, who took on the role of horse section secretary seven years ago after having been honoured to have been made show president in 2015.

“It has been good of Liz to put my name in the schedule as such,” says Les. “It’s all done in good humour, but I really think by now it should be show walker, given my age and speed. In fact, I’ve probably now progressed to show plodder.

“I’m really just a dogsbody, someone who fetches things here and there, everything from messages to fire extinguishers. I get about a bit on show day.

“When Wendy became horse secretary I started helping her with filling in forms, so I’m really like secretary to the horse secretary before the show day. That’s how I became involved in the show. We both never had that much time to get to the show before we retired, with it being on a weekday and having our day jobs that weren’t specifically connected to farming. Now I’m quite possibly the oldest ‘chief runner’ in the showing world.

“I started doing it to make Liz’s job hopefully a little bit easier because when Wendy started with the horses I could see Liz was getting all these interruptions, people plaguing her all the time, asking her questions like this was needed here, that was needed there, and by then I was in a way free because Wendy has her own team of people on show day. I said, ‘I’ll run down there and take that’.

Wendy has lived in Danby all her life and worked in Castleton. Wendy’s family were all farmers, and ponies were her first love.

“My dad, granddad and great granddad were all farmers. It was a mixed farm in the days when everybody had a few cows, sheep, pigs and everything else. Everyone in the family had to help on the farm when we were younger and we all had jobs. Mine was varied. I had ponies and looked after our Blackface sheep.

“I was in pony club when I was younger and always went to local shows including Danby.

I used to enjoy the mounted games. It was the survival of the fittest at Danby Show when we were all up against each other, not in teams. We’d all compete at Kildale, Farndale, Castleton, Danby and a few other local gymkhanas.

“While being horse secretary involves a lot of work you are certainly not on your own. There’s a sub-committee and everybody works hard. That’s the same throughout the show. There’s stewards and all sorts of different people and you know that on show day they’ll all be there to get on with it without any fuss. It’s a very local, community thing.

Les was brought up in Castleton, where he lived until meeting Wendy when they made the long distance move of less than a mile to Danby. Les also has farming heritage.

“My great grandfather and grandfather were farmers. My mother, a Flintoft, was born on to a farm that the family still has, Broadgate Farm, Westerdale. My cousins still have it now. My mother’s brother was Herbert Flintoft who helped with the sheep at Danby Show. That’s the beauty of Danby Show, it’s all about the generations, families and friends.

“To me Danby Show is an enjoyable day. It’s tiring because I’m running, but it’s just a great day. You see people at Danby Show that you probably haven’t seen since the last year’s show. People who move out of the area love to come back to Danby Show because it’s all about that community spirit. You’re among friends, whoever you are.

“One of last year’s judges came up from Worksop and as he was coming down the rigg road into Botton he saw the tents further along down in the showfield. He said that he pulled over because it was such a fantastic sight and sat there for five minutes just looking down at the show’s wonderful setting. He had such an enjoyable day that this year he’s coming back and entering some of his horses.

“Botton Village is an important part of the community and they support the show massively every year, often walking from the village to the showground.

Danby Show always has strong sheep classes but Wendy and Les’ ewe won’t be taking part.

“Stang End Farm is only a smallholding,” says Wendy. “It was my parents’ farm and my brother Michael Farrow still farms it today and is also on Danby Show committee. Mary had been a pet lamb. Everybody knows Mary around here and they’ve all seen how she has embraced her career change.

Les has fully embraced his too and tells of the perks that come with the job and how he’s looking to the next generation.

“On show day I can usually get down to the beer tent by 4 o’clock. I’m looking to appoint an apprentice runner to take over from me. I think I’ve got somebody, he’s only in his late 60s.