Cheese lovers at the Great Yorkshire Show have raised £50,000 for a host of charitable causes in just over a decade.

The milestone has been reached following this summer’s show, where an annual auction of cheeses raised £8,530 for the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution (RABI), a charity which works tirelessly to support farming people through practical, financial and emotional assistance.

Once judging has taken place in the Cheese and Dairy Section, Great Yorkshire Show visitors are given the chance to bid for a round of their favourite cheese, from top quality cheese producers from across the country. Proceeds from the auction are then donated to a nominated charity each year.

RABI is the latest recipient, with other beneficiaries over the last 12 years having included: Herriot Hospice Homecare, The Samaritan’s Regional Rural Initiative, Addington Fund and Yorkshire Air Ambulance. Due to the Covid pandemic, the cheese auction did not go ahead in 2020 when the Great Yorkshire Show was cancelled and when it returned under strict control measures in 2021.

(Image: YAS)

Rachel Coates, show director, said: “A huge thank you to Great Yorkshire Show visitors for generously supporting the cheese auction, this year and over the last 12 years, raising an incredible amount for great causes that are so important to farming families. We know that the funds raised are going to an excellent cause again this year.

"RABI is long-time member of the Yorkshire Agricultural Society’s Yorkshire Rural Support Network, which promotes and provides sources of practical, financial, medical and emotional support to those who live in farming and rural communities.”

Chief steward of the Great Yorkshire Show’s Cheese and Dairy Section, Caroline Bell from Shepherds Purse Cheeses, added: “The cheese auction is always a highlight of the Great Yorkshire Show’s Cheese and Dairy Section, and it really is our visitors who make it such a big success. Thank you to all the cheese makers who entered this year and donated their cheeses to the auction, to all the auctioneers who did such a brilliant job and to the public who supported it. It is amazing to have raised over £8,500 for RABI towards its invaluable work.”

RABI offers one-to-one, expert support, advice and guidance, tailored to every unique circumstance, whether it’s giving expert advice on benefits potentially available to farming people or accessing mental health support.

RABI’s 24/7 freephone helpline 0800 188 4444 ensures the charity is available at any time of the day or year to give farming people the right type of support.

Sally Conner, RABI North East regional manager, said: “The donation that the Cheese and Dairy section at the Great Yorkshire Show has made will make a huge difference to families in Yorkshire. Earlier in the summer we launched our Return to School Grant which supports families getting ready for the new school year. This has proved to have a very positive impact and is a proactive way for RABI to support working farmers. A huge thanks to all concerned, we really appreciate the donation.”

Applications for RABI’s Return to School Grant are now closed following overwhelming demand and uptake since it was launched last month. The grant scheme, now in its third-year, is a response to the cost-of-living crisis and has provided more than £2m of financial support to farming families across England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The dates for next year’s Great Yorkshire Show are Tuesday, July 8 to Friday, July 11, 2025 and tickets will go on sale in November.