Euros big screen at agricultural show 'huge success'

Nina Oxley  A sunny day and lots of people sitting watching a big screen watching a football match on a big screen Nina Oxley
The organisers booked the big screen before they knew if England had qualified for the quarter-finals

One of the North West's biggest village agricultural shows says putting up a big screen for England's Euro 2024 quarter-final win was a "huge success".

Approximately 10,000 people attended Skelton Show at Hutton in the Forest in Cumbria on Saturday.

Show chair Nina Oxley said: "Several hundred people watched the game and some definitely stayed longer at the show because we had the screen."

Skelton Show has been running since the late-1800s and has grown from a small village event to one of Cumbria's major agricultural shows.

Nina Oxley  A man with lots of fresian cows and tractors in the background Nina Oxley
Skelton Show has been held since 1881

It has classes of cattle, sheep, horses and dogs, as well as vintage vehicles and Cumberland and Westmorland wrestling, but not until this year, a big screen.

"We had to book it before we even knew if England would be playing in the quarter-finals and it wasn't cheap," Mrs Oxley said.

Skelton Show  A black and white pic of a beauty parade Skelton Show
The organisers say it's important to move with the times while preserving their core values of service to the rural community

"But there was a fantastic atmosphere, there was obviously the bar there as well and some people brought chairs and it was great way to bring people together.

"The fact England got through is a bonus and having a big screen for major sporting events is certainly something we'd consider doing again in the future," she added.

England beat Switzerland 5-3 on penalties after the game ended in a 1-1 draw after extra time.

They will now play the Netherlands in the semi-finals on Wednesday at 20:00 BST

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