IT was smashing to walk along the high street in Skipton on Sunday and see so many people enjoying the Sheep Day festival in the intermittent sunshine.

Although not a particularly historic event - it began around 20 years ago - it has proved its worth over the years by bringing the farming fraternity to townspeople and giving them a glimmer of the life of sheep farmers and ovine husbandry.

It had been three years since Sheep Day was last staged, thanks to Covid and its restrictions, so it was good to see people genuinely glad to see it back. The number of visitors was phenomenal and the sheep shearers had a captive audience as they demonstrated their skill.

Several high street shops were open to take advantage of the increased footfall and there was plenty of food to sample. The wild boar burger I purchased was particularly nice; a bit pricey, but delicious and I was more than happy to patronise the food seller. They have to make a living, after all, and have had a couple of lean years themselves.

Almost every inch of available sett space was taken with trade stands of all types so if it expanded it would be hard to think where it could spread out to.

All in all, a grand day out and hats off to the organisers.