Glanton Show will return on Saturday the 13th August, following an enforced hiatus of four years.
Heavy rain and floods in 2019 followed by the Covid-19 pandemic, saw the historic show cancelled for three consecutive years. Joked Show Chairman, Jon Radgick, “Barring a plague of locusts, the event this year will be going ahead!”
The country show – with roots that can be traced back over 160 years – will feature a host of activities for all the family. Attractions include a gun dog training display, live music, terrier racing, classic cars and a children’s funfair and sports events. There will also be a selection of local craft, food and drink stalls and a marquee of exhibits. The more adventurous attendees can register to take part in the famous Glanton Show hill race.
Held at Glanton Showfield (NE66 4AL), gates to the event will open at 12.30pm. Entry is charged at £5 for adults, £1 for children and a £10 family ticket is also available. All proceeds raised go back into the running of this and future shows.
Jon continued: “We look forward to welcoming people to the show. Our committee is delighted to be resuming ‘Normal service’ and have been working extremely hard to bring together a number of fabulous attractions, which we are sure will combine to create an enjoyable and memorable day.”
The ‘Glanton Games’ were first held in 1855, in the field in front of what was then the Red Lion Inn. The programme included wrestling, hurdles, shot put, flat racing, sack races, and even a donkey race.
By 1869 the games were known as ‘The Great Northern Games at Glanton’, a grand title that perhaps more reflected the Victorian penchant for prefixing names with the word ‘Great’ – rather than the scale of the games themselves.
In 1887, The Gazette reported that ‘Glanton may be said to be the nursery of wrestling in North Northumberland’ but by 1891, reported that The Games had been allowed to ‘Fall through’. In 1895, the sports were described as ‘A thing of the past’, however, that same year, the village launched the Glanton and District Art, Industrial and Loan Exhibition – likely the forerunner to the show we know today.
More information about the event can be found at: www.glanton.org.uk
For more information, please email: david@persuasion-pr.com
