OPINION: The Ebor Festival shows off our county as the perfect place to visit - James Mason, Welcome to Yorkshire

After a particularly turbulent time for all over the last eighteen months, its much-anticipated and rapturous return was one of the outstanding highlights of the year, welcoming guests from far and wide for four fabulous days of racing, to one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

A top-class sport spectacular, the Welcome to Yorkshire Ebor Festival, combines fabulous food, delicious drink and of course the fabulous fashion in a stunning setting, plus internationally-renowned jockeys and incredible horses. Broadcast across the globe, the live daily coverage on ITV1 broadcast the racing and the breathtakingly beautiful county of Yorkshire, to not only audiences in the UK, but international channels beamed the event across the continents, including North America, Europe, Africa and Australia.

This means millions of people are getting to see Yorkshire as not only a premier horse racing destination, but the perfect place to visit, live, work and study, something Welcome to Yorkshire is keen to promote and thrilled to be part of.

Following on from the greatness of Harrogate’s Great Yorkshire Show in July, then the excitement of Ebor in August, there is still lots more to come across the county, including Scarborough Cricket Festival 5th-8th September, then The Welcome to Yorkshire Ian Woosnam Senior Invitational at Ilkley Golf Club on the 16th and 17th, which promises to be a ‘big hit’ once again with celebrity, pro and public players.

This Bank Holiday sees Leeds Festival at Bramham Park return and inspired by all of those fabulous Channel 5 TV hits, for the first time there will be 5 On The Farm festival at Cannon Hall Farm in Barnsley, with farming favourites and top TV names entertaining the crowds including Yorkshire shepherdess Amanda Owen, adventurer Helen Skelton, Milkshake characters and of course… Peppa Pig, plus recent Welcome to Yorkshire Talkshire podcast guests - farmer and JLS’ JB Gill, Yorkshire vet Julian Norton and global broadcaster Ben Fogle.

Hear all about the event at yorkshire.com/inspiration/talkshire-podcasts

Launched on Yorkshire Day, there’s still time to get your inspiring images in for The Big Yorkshire Photo Shoot, a Welcome to Yorkshire and Harrogate-based charity Yorkshire Cancer Research initiative. The Big Yorkshire Photo Shoot competition encourages all to submit their inspiring images showing Yorkshire at its very best and to have the chance to win prizes and to be selected to feature in ‘The Big Yorkshire Photo Shoot’ 2022 calendar.

So a great opportunity for all Harrogate Advertiser readers to send in their favourite photos of Harrogate or the surrounding area, exciting events or their favourite people yorkshirecancerresearch.org.uk/bigyorkshirephoto

The closing date is Monday 31st August and I’m thrilled to be one of the judges, alongside internationally acclaimed photographer, Joe Cornish, bestselling author/TV’s Dr Amir Khan who is passionate about film-making, photography and the benefits of the great outdoors (particularly spotting wildlife), Yorkshire Cancer Research Chief Executive Dr Kathryn Scott, plus TV personality Christine Talbot.

‘The Big Yorkshire Photo Shoot’ competition will not only showcase Yorkshire and all it has to offer, but will raise vital funds for Yorkshire Cancer Research and highlight the importance of their continued groundbreaking medical advancements. So whether photographing the county and its people for the calendar or attending a big event in your calendar… enjoy Yorkshire this weekend!