Blue skies and sunshine brought the 2014 Countryside Live to a close, as organisers announced one of the highest figures in its 12-year history.

A total of 12,215 visitors came through the gates of the little sister event to the Great Yorkshire Show which took place over the weekend (Sat 18 and Sun 19 October). The attendance figure is the second highest, with the record standing at last year’s total of 12,689.

The rural extravaganza combined classes for cattle, sheep and horses with hands-on activities, demonstrations and displays ranging from horse shoeing to tug of war contests, and from show jumping to mountain biking.

Bill Cowling, Show Director said: “Countryside Live goes from strength to strength and this year is certainly one of the best, if not the best ever. It is a mark of the stature of Countryside Live that so many of the livestock winners will go on to achieve further successes on the winter fatstock show circuit.

“As soon as the gates opened, there was a steady flow of people coming in, and the atmosphere’s been tremendous. It’s very much a fun event, but it is also a wonderful showcase of the farming industry,” added Mr Cowling.

It was Ladies Day in the cattle section with heifers taking both the Supreme Championship and Reserve. For the fifth time Phil and Sharon Sellers took the top honours at Countryside Live with their 604kg Limousin cross heifer “More of That”. The Reserve title was taken by the Alford Showteam from Devon with their 562 kg British Blue cross, Pokerhontus – her first major show outing.

The pure bred Dutch Texels belonging to Ian Clough and family took the honours in the sheep section, winning both the Continental and overall championship. The 94kg pair of ewe lambs are from their 100 ewe flock at Pickering, North Yorkshire.