This edition of the About Britain series was produced by Tyne Tees Television and transmitted regionally on 23 March 1984. The programme records some of the events and sporting activities taking place during the Ingram Show and Sports on a wet weekend, 10 September 1983, in the Breamish Valley.  Events featured include sheep trials, show jumping, fell running and clay pigeon shooting, pillow fights on a pole and quoits. A fun marquee disco ends the show. Title: Tyne Tees Television logo Tyne...

This edition of the About Britain series was produced by Tyne Tees Television and transmitted regionally on 23 March 1984. The programme records some of the events and sporting activities taking place during the Ingram Show and Sports on a wet weekend, 10 September 1983, in the Breamish Valley.  Events featured include sheep trials, show jumping, fell running and clay pigeon shooting, pillow fights on a pole and quoits. A fun marquee disco ends the show. Title: Tyne Tees Television logo Tyne Tees The film opens with a view of moorland and fields stretching into the distance in the Breamish valley. Fences used in equestrian competitions are scattered in a field. The camera pans around to rest on the stone Ingram Village Hall.  A notice pinned to a board reads ‘Ingram Show and Sports, Saturday 10 September 1983, Open Sheep Show, Sheep Dog Trials (Confined)…” The list of activities planned includes the “Famous Ingram Hill Race”. In the village hall, a meeting of the show committee organising the event takes place. The camera picks out the members attending the meeting as the minutes are read out. The minutes continue in voiceover as the film moves on to show a farmer combing the wool on a sheep, preparing it for the show. A high angle view shows a gardener tending to a colourful collection of dahlias in a garden. The gardener is measuring the size of the blooms with a circular device. He cuts a stalk with a flower on it, then trims off some of the leaves with a knife. A woman rolls out pastry on a kitchen table. Back at the show committee meeting a member outlines to the chairman a cancellation of the Northumbrian wrestling and the introduction of others. A runner trains on a moorland road accompanied by his dog. A group of children play with clay or plasticine at the local school. A girl practices some sewing. A teacher supervises some other children modelling with plasticine. Another girl paints a picture of sheep in a field. Back at the committee meeting a woman reads out information she has for the running of the show. A man digs with a fork in his garden, and pulls up some potatoes. He picks off the potatoes and places them in a bucket. He talks about the chances of the cottage gardener against the professional gardeners. A teenage girl in a farmyard prepares a grey horse for the show. Back at the committee meeting a man outlines the size of the marquee being used in the show. The film cuts back to the woman in the kitchen who checks items cooking in her Aga oven. She takes shortbread out of the oven and puts it on a table next to some sponge cake cooling on a wire rack. The runner seen earlier makes his way along a path with a dog following on behind. A man digs up huge onions from his garden. The runner negotiates a hill. A gardener collects green beans from his garden. The runner powers his way along the uphill road. Another member submits her verbal report to the show committee, the chairman concludes the meeting, the final one before the show. The chairman concludes by saying “Let’s pray for good weather.” A high angle view shows the equestrian fences arranged in the show field. A general view shows hills in the distance under an overcast sky. On a rain soaked day, the marquee is busy with people bringing items for competition and display. Farmers with their sheep in wooden pens endure torrential rain. Judges inspect the sheep. Commentary outlines the importance of this particular part of the show to local sheep farmers. Awards are presented to winners. The commentary states that the sheep at the show are not bred to be on show. Farmers show good examples taken from their stock and prepared for the show. Judges make notes on pieces of paper and read out the top three that will be awarded prizes, rosettes are awarded to the owners. Next, competitors gather for the equestrian events, as a grey horse is taken over the fences in one of the show fields, followed by a second white horse and rider in competition. At the clay pigeon shooting range competitors test their accuracy with their shotguns. A woman writes down each participant’s success rate at hitting the target. A view of a hills in the distance is almost obscured by low cloud. A shepherd in a field shouts instructions to his dog, to herd three sheep into a pen. Spectators watch in the rain, two use the tailgate of their car to provide a bit of shelter. The shepherd and his dog work hard to corral their sheep, without success. Interview with the shepherd who blames the shots from guns frightening his young dog. Another shepherd uses whistle signals and vocal instructions to control his dog, as they attempt to complete the same task. They succeed as the sheep are secured in the pen. In a parked car two dogs look out of the windows. In an interview, the winning competitor explains that wind and rain can impede the dog’s hearing. Next a sprint between men and women where one of the women wins the race. Following on two young men sit on a pipe supported by two trestles. They each have a pillow and the object of the contest is to knock the other of the pipe. They are not allowed to support themselves with a free hand. After a few seconds one of the men is knocked to the ground. A second attempt and the man who lost first time round loses again. Next an obstacle race, which involves a sack race to the first obstacle, jumping over large bales of hay covered in plastic, followed by dunking their head in a bowl of water for a plum. A young female rider on a grey horse berates her horse as she negotiates a gymkhana event, picking a potato from the top of some posts and dropping it in a bucket at the end of the row of posts. A number of riders attempt the task. One rider comes off her horse and has difficulty getting back on. The competition winners are awarded rosettes. Inside the marquee competitors and spectators enjoy a drink and some shelter from the rain. Judging of the vegetables and flowers has taken place. A group of four potatoes has won first prize. Green beans are awarded their prizes denoted by the different coloured labels. A group of onions are awarded first prize. Brightly coloured dahlias are awarded their prizes. A group of shepherd crooks with ornately carved handles are on show. Sponge cakes and shortbread have been judged and awarded their prizes. Children aren’t left out with their paintings on display. Outside a quoits competition is underway, a judge presides over the event. The commentary talks of the show as very much a local, non-commercial show with few visitors from outside the locality. Next young men in the Ingram Hill Race start off across rough grass, then head up a steep and rocky hillside. They come to the top at a walking pace, then it flattens out and they start running again. Spectators and officials watch the runners’ progress across the windswept moorland. A view over the moorland show the runners in the distance. A runner tries to keep his balance as he runs quickly downhill and to the finish line. The first two runners struggle to catch their breath. The others come through to finish the course. The winner of the Ingram Hill Race cup is announced. The man presenting it says that the prize cup dates back to 1923. He passes the cup to the woman standing next to him who is the mother of the winner. Another trophy is awarded to competitor Robin Blaine. The show concludes with an evening disco in the marquee. Everyone joins in a dance lit up by coloured disco strobe lights, grooving to Michael Jackson’s ‘Beat It’. Even the local police are there. Young teenage couples smooch. A boy shimmies up the marquee pole. Some adults join the youngsters in some daft dancing. The camera moves outside with a general view of the marquee in the dark of night lit up inside with disco lights and the silhouettes of people socialising inside.