Ryedale Show to move to Duncombe Park to secure its future

The show, will move to the Duncombe Park estate in Helmsley, after a 60 year absence.

The move from Welburn Park, near Kirkbymoorside, comes as changes to the terms of land use, growing safety issues and the primary concern of securing the show’s future, led to a unanimous vote by the Ryedale Agricultural Society board of Trustees in favour of relocating. This decision was supported by the Show Committee. It was also agreed that the show should continue to be held on the last Tuesday in July each year.

Keira Sirr-Hovendon, Secretary for Ryedale Show said: “It’s very sad to leave Welburn Park of course. One of our volunteers described it as like moving house – it’s bitter-sweet to leave one much loved home to move to a new house, even though you know it’s a positive move.. But, very quickly, that new house starts to feel like home. We are absolutely certain that the show will maintain its special atmosphere at Duncombe Park, with great advantages for accessibility, public safety and growth of the show. It is the vast team of volunteers who make the show what it is and, with their support, we will quickly settle to our new site and deliver a fantastic show!”

Historically, since being founded in 1855, Ryedale Show rotated annually between sites in Pickering, Kirkbymoorside and Helmsley, with Duncombe Park last hosting the show in 1963. Since then the show has been held at Welburn Park, Kirkbymoorside, known for its natural amphitheatre around the main ring and its sprawling show fields, divided by steep slopes and areas of woodland.

Regarding the relocation, the Trustees made this statement: “We are so grateful to the Shaw family for hosting the show over the past 60 years and even before then, when the show rotated between locations. We feel very fortunate to have had such an amazing location for the Show in the beautiful setting of Welburn Park. Our sincere thanks go to the whole Shaw family for their support. However, it is the right time to move on and we are absolutely delighted to have been invited back to the Duncombe Park estate.

“The Ryedale Show has grown massively over the decades and will soon outgrow the show area as the show continues to grow. The multi-level quality of the showground at Welburn Park, which made it so unique, also at times made it difficult and dangerous, especially in wet weather. We are receiving increasing numbers of complaints each year regarding the steep slopes in the public car park, leading down to the temporary bridge, being unsafe and unsuitable for pushchairs. The trees now have to be cordoned off entirely due to safety concerns. The locations of the public car parks mean that people are required to cross roads amidst high levels of show-bound traffic. The landowner also introduced new terms on land use this year, which we were unable to meet as a Charity organisation, whose aims are to support agriculture and agricultural education. Unfortunately after failing to reach an agreement with the landowner, the board of Trustees and wider committee voted that there was no choice but to relocate at this time, in order to protect the future of the show, its aims and leading principles.

“It’s a fantastic piece of history to return the show to Duncombe Park after 60 years. The layout of the venue will bring the show together in one cohesive area, with all parking close to the show field and away from public highways. The Duncombe Park estate has concrete roadways that will be a huge advantage in the event of wet weather. The more level ground will allow far easier access for all, especially those with mobility issues and those with young children in pushchairs. There will be a lot of work and planning over the coming months but it’s exciting to look ahead to what promises to be an entirely positive move for the Ryedale Show.”