Hayfield Country Show and Sheep Dog Trials ends after 45 years

Hayfield Country Show and Sheepdog Trials has been held in the village for 45 years, and had been due to return for the first time since 2019 this month.

But the event will not go ahead this year, or in the future, after a change in ownership of the farm where it takes place.

Paul Bagshaw, who has been organising the event for 25 years, said he is saddened that it cannot continue.

“I’m really upset,” he added. “The show has been part of my life for such a long time so it’s very strange it is just weeks away from when it would normally happen and I’m selling catering equipment and the bar off rather than getting the field ready.”

The traditional country show has taken place at Spray House Farm, Little Hayfield, for 45 years but after the landowner, farmer David Mellor died last year, his property moved into the ownership of his two sons.

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Paul explained: “The site where we have held the show belongs to one son who doesn’t want the show to continue.

"The other son is holding sheep dog trials but just for farmers as he hasn’t got suitable access for the thousands of people who turn up. It’s sadly the end of an era for the show.”Paul says he has been looking for alternative venues for several years with no luck.

He said: “We get more than 8,000 people over the weekend so we needed somewhere large enough and there isn’t anywhere suitable and where the farmers want to rent out their land.”

The show saw people coming from all over to watch the stunts, buy from the stalls as well as watch the sheep dog trials.The loss of the show will be a blow for the local economy too, said Paul.

"People book up the B&Bs for show weekend and that money is now not going to be coming into the village.

“A huge chunk of our profits go to local charities so it is going to be a big loss for them too.”

New land owner Peter Mellor said: “The show put too much strain on the land. If it was a wet year the fields got wrecked and it takes too long to recover from it.

"I know it will be missed but it’s not coming back.”

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