Director says 'It's been an honour'

by Tamzin Hindmarsh

The show will go on, even though its director will be standing down today after five years in the chair.

As he prepared to leave his prestigious position at the Great Yorkshire Show, Warren Fenwicke-Clennell said he was not sad to leave.

He revealed he had already been invited to become Yorkshire Agricultural Society's new president in the year 2000.

"I will be around for a few years yet," said the 70-year-old former Army officer, who was today briefing his successor, Christopher Hall.

Mr Fenwicke-Clennell, who is retired, lives with his wife in Kirk Hammerton. He said: "It has been a fascinating and thoroughly enjoyable five years, but at the same time I think this type of job is best held for a restricted period because we want a new person with perhaps better or newer ideas.

"I'm not sad to go. I just think how lucky I was to be able to take this job on in the first place."

He said that over the years he had tried to keep it as much an agricultural show as possible while at the same time finding a balance which would draw in the general public and let them find out more about farming for themselves.

"I prefer sheep dog trials to motor bike displays," he said.

Christopher Hall, of Husthwaite, near Easingwold, said: "It is a great honour to be taking on this job. It's an honorary position and therefore a great privilege, so I was delighted to accept it.

"This is an agricultural show and therefore we have to be true to our roots. However, there are fewer and fewer people involved in the agriculture industry these days, so I will be making sure that we will always have a flavour here at the show to suit people of all backgrounds to ensure they can have a really good day out."

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