15 Sep 2026 Champ Show & Autumn GP Week-end
If you have no wish to read the overall week-end summary below, or have already read it, then use these links to go directly to
The Championship & Obedience Show Day (Saturday)
Overall Week-end Review
Well if football is ‘a game of two halves’ then our big Bernese Bash was definitely a week-end of two days! Apologies for discussing the weather first but it was so extreme it will be an abiding memory for most people who experienced Saturday. It had started dry but gloomy, then perked up for the carting parade based opening and stayed just about manageable, with a few short light showers for much of the morning and into the afternoon session but a little way into the afternoon judging things changed. For parts of the afternoon it rained about as hard as is possible and no ground would cope quickly with that level of deluge. Conditions deteriorated quickly through the afternoon, not helped by the previous grassless state of the drought scorched ground, and breed judge Richard Hallam is to be commended for persevering as the water gradually flooded along the ground into the undercover judging area and turned the ring and much of the show ground itself into a slippery mess. Although the rain itself didn’t get to those under the marquees, watching the water spread across the ring, was like being on the last bit of dry beach as the tide came in! Amazingly less than two weeks earlier we’d spent hours at committee discussing the Fire Risk Assessment, at least all the campsite Fire Buckets were filled up!
The 4 Main winners at the Champ Show Best in Show, Res BiS, Best Puppy & Best Veteran More details on Champ Show report page
By the end of the show, movement assessment was minimal by necessity but everyone seemed to understand and accepted the situation, so a big thank you to all the exhibitors as well.
The final part of judging was held in the shallow end!
By tea time the rain had stopped and the ground was drying out, draining amazingly rapidly, as we know it does at this venue, and by the time darkness fell any surface water had all but disappeared and the evening’s entertainment was later enhanced by an enchanting torchlit carting display where I’m sure no one even gave a second thought to the, unbelievably improved, surface conditions.
The next morning, for Garden Party day, the sun was out early and it was like being in a different country to Saturday. Those who went home after the show would never believe how much things had improved overnight, just look at the difference in the ground in all the photos! No damp surfaces and a glorious perfect Garden Party day unfolded with sunshine and enough cloudy periods to allay any ‘it’s getting too hot’ fears.
Individual reports and photos from the two days of the week-end will be available by CLICKING ON ONE OF THE TWO HEADINGS BELOW and will expand over the coming days and weeks as reports and photographs become available.
1] 2026 Championship Show.
The Club’s annual Championship Show, this year featuring a nod towards our Emerald 55th Anniversary and judged by Richard Hallam, was held on Saturday 29th of August.
Our Championship Show and Limited Obedience Show were kindly sponsored by
Yorkshire’s Finest Pet Food
generously offering food prizes for all class and large bags for main winners. In these difficult times we are extremely grateful for this generous sponsorship. Click on the heading or the logo to find out more.
The Limited Obedience Show held alongside the Champ Show was judged by Carol Mortimer, who we are extremely grateful to as she also officiated at the, slightly less serious, Obedience on Sunday.
During Saturday’s lunch break, while the judge was away, we also held our usual JHA qualifying Junior Handling competition
Best Junior Handler in Show
followed by the Champions Parade.
2] The Autumn Garden Party (AGP)
The next day, Sunday 30th August, saw our Garden Party, with all the usual highlights and features, and again, kindly sponsored by
Antinol Joint Care Pro
who provided vouchers for class winners. Again, in these difficult times we are very grateful for this generous sponsorship please click on the heading or the logo for more information .
Reporting and photos from all areas, accessed via the links on this page and will be completed as soon as possible.