LGBTQ+ Charity With Rural Mission Lines Up For 2026 Great Yorkshire Show
A pioneering charity inspired by the legacy of a late North Yorkshire farmer is heading to this year’s Great Yorkshire Show to help better connect rural members of the LGBTQ+ community.
Matt Jameson of Out Together which joins the line up for the 167th Great Yorkshire Show
For the first time at the Great Yorkshire Show, which takes place in Harrogate on Tuesday 14 – Friday 17 July, the charity Out Together will have a trade stand, where all show visitors will be made to feel welcome throughout the Show’s four days.
Out Together was set up in 2020 to tackle social isolation and loneliness, with a focus on older generations. The charity organises social events and connects people digitally to create safe spaces for members of the LGBTQ+ community in even the most remote locations across Yorkshire.
Rachel Coates, Show Director said: “The Great Yorkshire Show is an event for all, a fantastic four days celebrating everything that’s great about farming, food and the countryside – and this includes all of the people who make up those communities. It is wonderful to see Out Together creating meaningful safe spaces and breaking down barriers. They are a great addition to this year’s Show.”
Out Together was set up with legacy funding left by the late Mike Potter, a North Yorkshire farmer who did not come out until he was 72 and who died four years later, aged 76.
Matt Jameson, who leads Out Together said: “Mike led such an isolated life, not being able to come out as himself, hidden for so long from family, friends and the community. Out Together got started when two of his great friends, Adam Bedford and Graham Clarke got in touch to make a substantial donation, and it’s going from strength to strength. We now run social activities across hubs in Wakefield, Hebden Bridge, Todmodern, Huddersfield and Leeds, and we want to create social connections in as many different areas as we can.”
Out Together will be located on Fifth Avenue, near the Sheep Shearing Stage where visitors can enjoy competitive sheep shearing on Tuesday to Thursday.
Matt said: “It’s really important for Out Together to come to the Show and shout about the work it is doing in the community. Come and have a chat because even if you are not part of our community or you’ve never had contact with the LGBTQ+ community, you might be able to signpost us to others who are living in isolation and feel closeted.”
Out Together runs a befriending service in partnership with Sky for people to connect via weekly phone calls, as well as digital inclusion sessions for older members of the community. The charity has held two ‘Out on the Farm’ events to bring people together in rural communities and is planning a third for later in the year.
Tickets for the Great Yorkshire Show are on sale now and are available to purchase in advance only, with prices frozen at the same rate as last year. Tickets are priced Adults £36.50, Children £13 and Families £89, while YAS Membership is Single £95 and Joint £155. Go to www.greatyorkshireshow.co.uk/ticket-information
Farmer tickets are also available, offering those who work on-farm extra flexibility to attend. Farmer ticket prices have also been held at the same rate as last year. For details see www.greatyorkshireshow.co.uk/farmers
The Great Yorkshire Show sells out every year with 140,000 visitors expected over four days and where 8,500 animals will be exhibited in pursuit of prize rosettes.
Free shuttle buses are operated by The Harrogate Bus Company every day of the Great Yorkshire Show. The buses run every 10 minutes from Harrogate Bus Station (next to the Railway Station) to the Showground’s White Gate, starting at 7.20am. The last bus departs the Showground at 7pm.
The Great Yorkshire Show is England’s premier agricultural event, organised by the Yorkshire Agricultural Society (YAS), a registered charity supporting rural Yorkshire.
YAS supports and promotes the farming industry through health care, business, education and scientific research.
The Society is supported by its family of businesses including Fodder, The Great Yorkshire Events Centre, Pavilions of Harrogate and the Harrogate Caravan Park as well as the Great Yorkshire Show.
Businesses and events held at the Great Yorkshire Showground in 2019 contributed £73.7 million to the economy.
