IT WOULD have been a grand day out for visitors if Covid restrictions had not prevented Penrith Show from going ahead last weekend.

Instead the committee used the date to celebrate the support they received from the community, drawing the 58 prizewinners in their 50 on the Field Grant Draw.

With three show years of poor weather, combined with 2 years affected by Covid-19, funds have seriously dwindled. The committee decided to launch a “Grand Draw” – aiming to raise sufficient funds to secure the show for 2022 which marks 50 years on the field.

With a ‘5 and 50 theme’, Show Secretary Mandy Hitch described the donation of prizes as ‘phenomenal’. Launched over the May Bank Holiday weekend, over £5,000 in prizes were donated by sponsors and local businesses. Tickets were sold by the committee, in shops and outlets in Penrith and Carlisle and Penrith YFC were also involved.

In total, £11, 195 was raised from the sale of raffle tickets, which, after expenses, raised over £10,000. The money goes into the Society funds to turn a deficit year into a profitable one as they head for their 50th year on the field.

Show Chair Fiona Kidd thanking all those who sold tickets, said “There may have been no show, but there was certainly an event with some theatre.”