SEM’s volunteer selected as judge at 165^th Great Yorkshire Agricultural Show, held at Harrogate from July  9^th  – 12^th 2024.

The 165^th Great Yorkshire Agricultural Show at Harrogate attracted thousands of people with the aim to celebrate British Farming and rural life.

This year’s Show saw SEM taking 37 people from two community groups –  women from the African & District Caribbean Community (SADACCA) and South-East Asian Women from ROSHNI all based in Sheffield. With the support of YAS the two groups were offered seats at the Grandstand to enjoy the displays. However, highlight of the Show for the two community groups was when one of SEM’s volunteers was nominated as one of the community judges for the cattle parade. She might have been the first minoritised person in history of the Show nominated as a judge. 

Below are her reflections:

“I was honoured to be appointed as a judge for the 2024 Great Yorkshire Agricultural Show at Harrogate. Overall, this was an intriguing experience being the first person from an ethnic minority background to be a judge. However, the official assisting us judged me based on my appearance. I was chosen together with another lady from another city who was white. While we were paired up, I was not acknowledged which was fine, but it was when he asked how long I had lived in Sheffield which is my hometown I responded by saying, I was born and bred in Sheffield. He immediately changed his attitude and initiated conversation with me but didn’t ask the white lady the same question. This is 165^th Show and its distressing to learn that we still live in a society where we are asked where we come from by virtue of our appearance.

This is my fourth time to volunteer with SEM at the Show which has always been predominantly white as you will imagine, and it is therefore great what the YAS is doing by supporting SEM to bring individuals from minoritised communities most of whom their parents or families originally came from farming rural backgrounds. Growing up as a young girl in Sheffield my parents told me about farming back home, however I have not experienced this as city girl. And also, prior to volunteering for SEM, I have only seen the Great Yorkshire Agricultural Show on Television. I think what YAS is doing by supporting SEM is very valuable, important and impactful. The judging experience itself did provide me with an excellent opportunity to observe the different cattle which are mostly native breeds. Although I was grateful to be chosen as judge, I had no idea what I was supposed to be looking for as the best breed, this is because growing up and going to school in Sheffield we didn’t have the opportunity to visit the rural countryside and learn about British farming, we didn’t undertake outdoor learning to include farm visits. I therefore found this quite an exciting experience and hope more young people from minoritised communities will be given the opportunity to experience British farming, and YAS should be praised for all their efforts and support to SEM.”      

Sheffield Environmental Movement (SEM), with support from the Yorkshire Agricultural Society (YAS) has been taking minoritised community groups to the Show to experience British farming for the past 4 years and at the 163^rd Show, SEM’s CEO Maxwell Ayamba was the first Black person featured in the Farmer’s Guardian Newspaper (see article)

The British Agricultural Sector is the least diverse sector in the UK followed by the Environmental Sector.

Health, Plants & Community Participate Maggie Ford reflects on her experiences during the Harvesting Our Heritage Project