FOR many Cumbrian families, the agricultural show season is the highlight of the year. Last year coronavirus wiped out last year’s show calendar, causing millions of pounds worth of losses to the rural economy. It hit everything from larger shows to smaller, one-day events which bring rural communities together. Hundreds of shows up and down the country were forced to cancel as the virus tore through the county, starving farming communities of annual chances to meet acquaintances, denying traders a vital market and rural charities of fundraising activities. Some Cumbrian show organisers staged virtual shows in some form or another.