THE showers came and went but failed to dampen the spirits of the thousands who flocked to the opening day of the Royal Lancashire Show.

The glitz and glamour of Ladies Day more often associated with Royal Ascot blended perfectly with the magnificent animals on display as townfolk and the country set mingled in Astley Park, near Chorley.

Despite the current crisis concerning British beef and lamb, exhibitors from across the county were still keen to prove they can produce some of finest beasts in the UK.

Blackburn farmer David Lucas, who picked up several prizes for his sheep and cows, said he and many others with smaller farms were facing financial hardship from the BSE scare.

He said: "At the moment we are managing to keep our heads above water.

"But if things do not improve by Christmas, we could be in trouble."

However, Clitheroe-based brothers Ross and Nigel Hibbert, who won prizes for their Riversmead Pedigree Suffolk sheep, were more concerned about the look of their animals than the meat.

And Waterfoot goat owner Ann Markey was content to let family friend Eva Mclaughlin, eight, show off her golden Guernsey Genie - especially when the pair picked up the first prize for kids in the show. Away from the cattle, hundreds of equestrian folk travelled to take part in the show jumping, heavy horse, Shire and pony club events.

And, of course, Ladies Day would not be complete without the fancy hats, provided by Blackburn boutique Felicity Jane and modelled on the Radio Lancashire stage.

But youngsters from Blackburn and District British Horse Society Pony Club simply enjoyed looking round the stalls and selecting free samples of food for their animals.

April Grimshaw, 10, of Love Clough, and Emma Ainsworth, 10, of Rising Bridge, tried on some of the country hats on offer.

While pals Caroline Walker, 12, of Wilpshire, Blackburn, and Rebecca Kay, 11, from Bolton, were content to play with their balloons.

All in all a great start to what promises to be a magnificent three days.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.