Keighley Show is cancelled

11:51am Wednesday 3rd September 2008

Keighley Show has been cancelled.

The annual extravaganza was due to be held this Saturday.

But the heavy rain of recent weeks has left the showground sodden.

And bosses decided this morning, after a meeting at the Marley King George V playing fields venue, that the event couldn't go ahead.

Secretary Inez Spencer said she was devastated for all those involved in organising the show.

The event has been cancelled only once before - in 2001 - due to the foot and mouth epidemic, although horticultural classes went ahead at another location.

"It is heartbreaking," she said.

"So much work is put in by so many people and all the preparations start a year in advance. A lot of folk don't realise just how much effort does go into it.

"I'm heartbroken for everyone concerned and so upset for this year's president Ann Cryer, who had been looking forward to Saturday for a long time."

Work to erect marquees at the show field began yesterday morning but a meeting was held today when it became clear there was a problem. Vehicles were encountering difficulties in what was becoming a mud bath, and a lorry had to be towed off the site.

Emma Patchett, the trade stands officer, said the decision to cancel had been a difficult one to make but was the only option.

"The ground is just so wet - if the weather forecast for the next few days had been good we may have been OK to proceed but it's not," she said.

"We have got to consider other users of the fields and if we'd carried on we would have spoiled the ground for everyone.

"We looked at whether it would be possible to restrict the site to pedestrians only but there would be so much missing without any vehicles that it would be impossible to do."

The show had just secured a three-year sponsorship deal with Park Lane College Keighley.

Cattle, sheep and goats - absent last year due to another national foot and mouth scare - were due to make a comeback.

And a coup had been achieved with the booking of Alastair Campbell, former Government director of communications and strategy, as guest speaker at the official luncheon.

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