Masham Sheep Fair, which took place on Saturday and Sunday, September 28 and 29, owes its origin to the market charters granted to towns back in the Middle Ages.

Today there are many similarities – yet significant differences – to those early fairs. For example, the wool in those days was of high value, in contrast to today where the wool cheque doesn't come close to covering the cost of shearing. Over the centuries therefore, sheep meat rarely came to the table and then only as well seasoned mutton.

As the value of wool declined in the 1800s in favour of other materials such as cotton and subsequently man made fibres, and with an increasing population, the sheep industry had to refocus, hence the short wool carcase breeds of today, which produce large quantities of protein food, still predominantly from grass.

Its demand is also supported by those whose cultural heritage has a leaning towards sheep meat, one example being traditionally cooked Greek kleftiko, which is a real treat for any food lover.

Even in my lifetime there has been a significant change as to the breeds of sheep that are sought after to meet the modern criteria of butchers' lamb production, both at home and for export, as we produce some of the finest quality lamb in the world.

Masham is also an ideal venue for such an event because of its exceptionally large market square. Not only this, but the support the Sheep Fair receives from local businesses, both large and small, combined with an army of volunteers, ensures its continuing success. Even members of the local Young Farmers Club are on hand to help to clean out the sheep pen area after the first day in readiness for Sunday's exhibits and then again on the Sunday evening, where everything is returned to the status quo, as though the event had never taken place.

Illustrating the social interaction of this fair, my wife and I met up with our nonagenarian long term farmer friend, George Chapman, for a bite of lunch and a catch-up in the Methodist Chapel, where light lunches and refreshments were available on both days, again supporting the event. This get together has become part of our routine at the fair.

This event has also, over the years, raised more than £100,000 for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance in addition to donations given to local charities.

Meeting up with Steve and Nick, who run the "Sheep Show" trailer, they explained that their demonstration is educational yet delivered in an entertaining manner, which I can endorse, and therefore what makes it so popular with non-farming visitors.

When photographing Mark Elliott from Ferensby, with his Wensleydale Breed Champion, Mark explained that the fleeces from this breed do still command a premium of up to £150 a fleece due to the exceptional properties of the wool, especially when sold to craft/cottage industries to create garments and soft furnishings. Mark introduced me to Chris Haslam who runs Shear Wensleydale from a smallholding in Lower Wensleydale, where Wensleydale wool is the main raw material in their products.

When going to find out how teenager Ellie Foster was getting on with her flock of Dalesbred, it became quite evident, judging by the number of entries, that this breed is going from strength to strength. David Lambert, from Hawes, who runs his Dalesbreds on land between 1,500 and 1,750 ft won the Breed Champion. The growing popularity of the Dales Mule is ensuring the increasing success of the Dalesbred.

Richard Wilson, from Beckwithshaw, judged this breed and his father David judged the 75th anniversary championship of the Teeswater Sheep Breeders Association.

Ten-year-old exhibitor, Luke Bell-Percy, from Jervaulx, had a tremendous weekend. On Saturday he won the Crossbred class, going on to win the Young Handler class in his age group and on Sunday he won Breed Champion in the Cheviot class, came second in the Young Handler class, also winning the local Young Handler class.

The fair still has a traditional rural atmosphere which embraces exhibitors, judges and visitors from far and wide.

Volunteers Jools and Julie Partridge have been making the pilgrimage from Leicester for almost ten years, staying for a week, just to be part of the team.

However they are not as far travelled as the visitor I spoke to from Brisbane in Australia, who had come with the intention of spending a few days in the area to coincide with the sheep fair in order to compare notes with what they do back home.

Don't miss next year's event, which will be held on September 27 and 28.