Masham Sheep Fair

The small market town of Masham, in Wensleydale, has for the past 30 years held an annual sheep fair in the market square. The fair commemorates the sheep sales that used to be held here, which thrived because of the town's proximity to Jervaulx and Fountains Abbey, with their large flocks of sheep. The fair raises a lot of money for charity. This year, the beneficiary will be the Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

I love the bustle of these kind of events and Masham is a lovely setting, its square lined with fine Georgian buildings.

Incidentally, the judge in the photo below (in the pale green jacket) is Sir Gary Verity. He is a sheep farmer but perhaps is more famous for being the Chief Executive of Welcome to Yorkshire, the county's official tourism agency. He was responsible for bringing the Grand Départ of the Tour de France to the county in 2014, and since then for inaugurating the Tour de Yorkshire cycle race.