Last updated 11:34, Monday, 11 August 2008

Torrential rain disrupted Dalston Show at the weekend but visitors came out in their thousands to support the event.

The village people float, cowboys and indians

• Slideshow: images of Dalston Show

Horse, cattle and sheep classes went ahead in the downpour but some competitors stayed away.

A fly-past by a Dakota plane was cancelled and floats from a village parade could not be brought onto the sodden showground.

Show chairman David Black said: “The impact was huge because the rain was so heavy. We had to rush through the stock judging as quickly as possible and bring the grand parade forward so stock could go home.

“Despite all this, I think the gate entries were around the same as what we had last year.

He paid tribute to everyone who did turn out to support the show.

Among them was 19-year-old Amanda Williams from Isel, who won the sheep championship with a texel she showed for her grandfather Reg Almond.

She’s looked after the flock since the age of nine and won the competition with a homebred ewe on its first time out.

Amanda, who is studying at Harper Adams agricultural college, said: “I thought I would chance it with her and I was really shocked to win. People ask me what I did in the holidays and I tell them I went farming.”

There was a good turnout of vintage vehicles including a rare 1960 Massey Ferguson 135 tractor that was found rusting in a farmyard and lovingly restored by Jo Bell from Brisco. After six months of restoration, it is now worth tens of thousands of pounds.

Gillian Potts from Dalston won most points in the industrial competition after entering around 30 classes, while Joyce Stainton from Cumdivock won best in show for a flower arrangement representing the Olympic torch.

There were more than 1,500 entries in the industrial section.

The supreme dairy championship was won by Thomas Savage and Sheila Fleming from near Appleby with a Jersey cow.

D T and M Stobart from Cracrop, near Brampton, won the interbreed beef trophy with homebred Limousin Cracrop Casanova.

At just 10 years-old, John Swainson from Thursby was named champion livestock handler. He said his victory was down to perseverance and hard work.

Four-year-old rider Freya Gaitskill was first in her class dressed as a princess on her pony dressed as a unicorn.

Horse steward Louise Utting said the turnout in the horse competition was slightly down but the quality of competition was high.

She added: “All these poor riders got soaked to the skin. They turned the horses out beautifully but they went away covered in mud.”