Grasmere Lakeland Sports and Show’s Committee ‘Say It’ With Flowers

Grasmere Lakeland Sports and Show’s Show and Field Manager, Deborah Black, has entered semi-retirement, having delivered her final Show in August 2023.

Although Deborah will no longer be handling all that goes with organising such an iconic rural and culturally important show, staged for the 171st time in 2023, she will still officially be in post until December 31.  This will allow her to help her successor learn all involved in creating a summer spectacle for both athletes and family visitors.

From the New Year, that responsibility will pass to Rich Hooper, who has recently been appointed as Deborah’s successor.

Chairman of the Grasmere Lakeland Sports and Show, John Hibbert, was delighted to present Deborah with a bouquet of flowers, after the committee’s September meeting, as a thank you for all she has done for the event over the past five years.  

This has included steering it through a difficult pandemic period, in which the show was cancelled for two of the very rare occasions in its history, with only war having necessitated previous cancellations.

Deborah gave the show a renaissance in 2022 and saw it thrive once more in 2023, despite all the challenges of the weather in summer 2023 and the cost of living crisis.

Although she is sad to be leaving the position of  Show Sports and Field Manager, she will be staying on to be the Field Events and Lettings Manager at the Grasmere sportsground, continuing to pour her expertise into this.

John Hibbert says: “The whole committee is enormously grateful to Deborah for all the dedication she has shown to Grasmere Lakeland Sports and Show.  We all admire her passion for this wholly traditional event, which is very much part of Lakeland culture and heritage, as well as her determination to ensure it continues to be a stand out event within the Cumbrian calendar, well into the future.

“We all wish Deborah well in her semi-retirement, knowing she will relish being able to spend more time with her family, who have all also been huge supporters of the show, in various volunteering roles.”

Deborah Black says, “I am sad to have delivered my last Grasmere Sports show, but know now is the right time to pass the reins to somebody else.  I just hope Rich will gain as much pleasure from organising this fantastic Lakeland event as I have.”

The show will be shortly announcing the details relating to the winner of the Pete Bland Bursary, which is intended to support the development of one young Cumbrian fell runner.

Ends

Editors notes

Grasmere Lakeland Sports and Show is an iconic event taking place in the heart of the English Lake District on the August Bank Holiday weekend. Its long historic roots date back to 1868 and it is renowned for its fell running, hound trails and Cumberland and Westmorland wrestling competitions, as well as being a fantastic family day out.