Country diary: Fell running and circus skills at the Rusland Show

Next year, my husband will be the president of the 140th annual Rusland Valley Horticultural Show, so this year he must attend as vice-president and shadow the incumbent president to see what his duties will be. We attended the show last Saturday and, thankfully, it was a warm, dry day – not the torrential rain that we have had on recent Rusland Show days.

After reporting to the secretary’s tent, we watched the long fell race runners coming in. One had taken a wrong turning and was disappointed not to win. There were then shorter running races on the grass track, before the short fell race up the hill behind Whitestock Hall. All the while, there was a hum of activity on the field as children practised circus skills, and in the craft tent people demonstrated local crafts such as swill basket-making.

One of the president’s duties is to judge exhibits in the big marquee, so we went to have a look at the horticultural classes. There we met a local, Daphne Knipe, who was pleased to have won three silver cups for flower arranging at the show. Her record is 13 silver cups in one year from local agricultural shows. She showed us the exhibits in the “my hobby” themed floral class; one had homemade chocolate incorporated into it and one a stuffed owl and binoculars.

Next, it was back outside to watch the pet show, as the president judges the Pet and Owner Lookalike and Dog With the Waggiest Tail competitions. My husband then retired to the beer tent to meet friends, while I spent a happy hour in a deckchair having a cup of tea and watching the egg-and-spoon and sack races.

Some of our friends who were stalwarts of the show were not there this year – three members of the show committee have died in recent years and their loss is felt on show days. But there is comfort in the fact that Rusland Show has been running for 139 years now, and next year it will be back once again in this glorious location in the heart of the Lake District.

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