THE MEMORY of a man well respected in Cumbrian farming circles will be kept alive by a new element of Penrith's show.

The family of the late Joe Harris, of Brackenburgh, Calthwaite, have presented to the show organisers a trophy which will be awarded each year to a farm within a 25-mile radius of the town which has been managed commercially and given great emphasis, attention, and priority to conservation.

Joe also had links to local journalism as the former chairman of the CN Group. 

He sadly passed away on February 1, 2023. 

Paying tribute to Joe, show chair, Fiona Kidd said: "Penrith Agricultural Society has always been keen to introduce new classes to the show and 2024 will see the first contest for the Joe Harris Trophy for conservation.

"The new trophy will allow farmers and growers to showcase their skills and how they are working to establish habitats for wildlife in the Eden Valley.

"I look forward to receiving entries for this new class and would like to say thank you to the Harris family for including the show in his legacy."

During his lifetime Joe saw great changes in agriculture in Cumbria and further afield, many of them introduced to boost food production. He was honorary show director at the Royal Show, Stoneleigh, which showcased many of these developments.

Joe was born in 1932 at Brackenburgh. He was schooled at Aysgarth, Harrow and then Cirencester. He was then called up for national service, serving with the 11th Hussars in Malaya.

He returned to Brackenburgh in 1955, married Anne McRobert in 1957 and resumed managing the estate. He had three children, John, Peter and Robert.

Joe was proud of his heritage and of being a Cumbrian. Determined to play his role in the community, he served as a magistrate for more than 30 years and was high sherriff of Cumbria and then advanced to become deputy lord lieutenant of the county. He served as chairman of Cumbrian Newspapers.

Joe was also a founder member of the Cumbria Society, which brought many rural businesses together, as well as a large number of other organisations.

Nationally, he was a member and trustee of the Royal Agricultural Society for over 50 years and a director of the Royal Show from 1978.