Whilst most agricultural shows are cancelled this year, Penrith Show is set to go on. Launched by Show President Tom Barr, “Penrith Virtual Show 2020” features a series of over thirty classes designed to represent as many sections of the show as possible. Online entries are now live, with a closing date of Wednesday 15th July. https://bit.ly/EnterPenrithVirtualShowNOW
Saturday 18th was set to be Penrith Show Day. Sadly cancelled because of Covid-19, the committee, sponsors and many competitors were keen to see the show go on in some form, bringing the community together and still celebrating the essence of a fantastic farming and fun day out.
The committee looked to Showing Scene – a business managing virtual shows across the country, to provide the on-line platform that enables the show to go on.
Richard Utting, Penrith Show Chair explained more about the virtual show. “We wanted something that would make it easy for competitors to enter and allow virtual judging from a distance. So, we created a series of classes. These include categories for arable , livestock, poultry, rabbits, home made and home grown, plus children’s classes, a dog show and even a dry stone walling competition.
“Competitors pay an entry fee and upload photos and a video for each class. They will need to display our 2020 sign so we know their entry is current. When entries close, our virtual judges log in and review the classes, making comments and selecting the winning entries.
“We will be downloading the winning entries onto our Face Book page and adding comments where appropriate.”
Cumbrian Stone – the Principal Partner announced earlier in the year, and key sponsors like Penrith Building Society have committed to supporting the event, along with other local businesses keen to support the show with sponsorship for classes.
Those not competing can still be part of the Penrith Show Community. The Penrith Show Face Book Page will be sharing past show highlights, calling for visitors to post pictures and running competitions to win tickets to next year’s show. More will be revealed as show date gets closer.
President Tom Barr summed up by saying “It’s good to see technology of today set to keep alive a tradition founded in 1833 – when the only “int’ net” was when sheep ran into the fence.”
Anyone looking to enter can find all the show classes on the Penrith Show website https://bit.ly/EnterPenrithVirtualShowNOW or see more at www.penrithshow.co.uk
