By Paul Crute

Last updated at 15:58, Friday, 05 August 2011

Chairman Joe Marrs saw more of Cockermouth Show on Saturday than he had in over 30 years as one of its organisers.

There was glorious sunshine as thousands of visitors flocked to the 161st annual Cockermouth Show to watch displays of cattle, sheep, goats, poultry and terriers.

And Mr Marrs was delighted with how it went.

He told The Cumberland News: “It has been a wonderful day and I have thoroughly enjoyed it.

“There has been a wonderful crowd and it is absolutely great to see so many people here because we put on this show for the local community and they have come out in their thousands.

“There has also been a really good turnout of stock and everything has run fairly smoothly.

“The whole experience has been great and as chairman I have been escorted around everything and seen more today at the show than in 33 years on the committee.”

There were also displays of vintage tractors, motorcycles and buses, a Cheshire dog display team, terrier racing, sheep shearing demonstrations, showjumping and Cumberland & Westmorland-style wrestling.

One of the biggest crowds of the day gathered round the main show ring to watch the grand parade.

Mark and Diane Wilson and their family, of Ormside Lodge, Lowfield, Appleby, won the award for best beast on the show field among a host of other prizes for their Holstein and Jersey cattle.

There were also plenty displays of sheep on offer and Robert Emmott, 49, of Wythop Hall, near Cockermouth, has exhibited his north of England mules and Swaledale sheep at the show for 14 years.

He received a first and second prize for his mules and a second for his Swaledales.

He said: “It has been a good show and I enjoy coming here because we are local and there is good competition and a bit of fun.

“It is good to see so many people down here and if they don’t come this year when the weather is like this than they will never come.”

The Cumberland & Westmorland wrestling also attracted a big crowd, which saw Richard Fox win the all weights category.

Show secretary Norma Boyes said: “We have had excellent weather and couldn’t have asked for better.

“There has been lot of support from the community.”

Alan Glaister, 70, of Newlands Park, Dearham won a trophy for the best tractor in the vintage class.

He said: “It’s fantastic, especially after I won the trophy, and I am glad to see so many people here.

“I got introduced to the show by a friend on the committee about five years ago and I have been doing up my tractor ever since to get it to the winning stage.

“It is something to do now I am retired and I am pleased to get involved.”

Barry Pickthall, 48, and his wife Sandra, 50, of Tweedmill Lane, Cockermouth, also enjoyed the day.

Sandra said: “It has been great and enjoyed the whole thing especially the vintage class which we thought was very interesting.

“We have been coming for a few years now and today the weather has been good and it is nice to see a good day.”

First published at 14:09, Friday, 05 August 2011
Published by http://www.cumberlandnews.co.uk