One of the year's last village shows is set to go ahead in Northumberland on Saturday September 24.
The Belford Show is in its 104th year and the annual community event will be held at the football grounds in the village. The sleepy settlement off the A1 in north Northumberland is hoping to welcome upwards of 400 people to enjoy food and drink, stalls from local craftspeople, and 166 different competition classes around growing fruit, vegetables, flowers, and home cooking.
There is also the annual duck race at 11am which will take place before the show officially opens its doors. And there's also a brand new element to this year's Belford Show, which anyone can enter.
Read more: Northumberland retiree slams Glendale Show after car fire caused miles of tailbacks
For the first time ever, there will be a dog show on the day, with the competition open to all canines and their owners. As well as the revered best in show, categories include dog with the waggliest tail, best family dog, dog with the kindest eyes, and prettiest bitch.
Despite the competitive elements to the show, organisers are primarily hoping to foster community spirit and inclusion among all ages and backgrounds.
Ann Flowers, Belford Village Show secretary, said: "We're very excited to be back. It's a lovely celebration of village life and we hope that these crafts and traditions can be passed on to future generations to keep them going."
As the show is so late in the year, it went ahead in 2021 when many other shows in the county, such as the Northumberland County Show and the Glendale Show did not. And Ann is hoping that this year's will be even more popular than the last.
She continued: "Last year's village show was the first local event we had coming out of Covid, and it was a great success. We were just short of 400 people coming through the doors - hopefully, it's going to be slightly bigger and better than last year's."
Though the majority of those coming through the doors are locals, Belford is home to a caravan park and a fair amount of holiday accommodation. Ann finished: "There are a lot of locals involved but because Belford attracts tourists, we do get some of them taking part as well."
The Belford Show takes place on Saturday September 24 at the Belford Football Grounds in the village from 1.30pm - 4.30pm. For more information, visit the Belford Village website.
Are you planning to visit the Belford Show this year? Let us know!
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