The position of President is an annual appointment and has in the past been taken by many illustrious names including, HRH The Princess Royal and HRH The Duchess of Kent.

The Society is best known as the organiser of the annual farming showcase, the Great Yorkshire Show, and its sister event, Countryside Live, as well as supporting agriculture in the north year round.

Mr Bannister took over on the final day of the recent Great Yorkshire Show, when he received the President's Staff from the outgoing President, Christopher Hall.

A member of the Society for over 50 years and Senior Steward of the Terrier Show for around two decades, Mr Bannister will be the Society's figurehead during his year in office.

His duties in the run-up to the 2009 Great Yorkshire Show will include chairing the four Society council meetings and representing the organisation at a number of ceremonial and social engagements.

Mr Bannister, who is Senior Joint Master of the Pendle Forest & Craven Hunt, is delighted to take on the role and says he is looking forward to his year in office.


"I'm very excited and also feel a little trepidation as it's such an honour to be asked. The Great Yorkshire Show is the flagship for the Society's work and the perfect showcase for the region's farming industry. In addition the Society does so much to support agriculture and the countryside in many other areas, particularly with young people, through its education department."


He added: "There is a wonderful team of people running the Society and I'm looking forward to being involved and helping to develop its work still further over the next 12 months."



Mr Bannister has been married to Ethne since 1956. The couple have three sons, Nick, Richard and Tom, a daughter, Louise, who died 14 years ago and 12 grandchildren.


The Bannister family bought the Coniston Estate in 1969 and soon saw the need to diversify if it was to remain viable. Beginning with a fish farm and gradually adding features such as a farm shop and tearoom, today Coniston Hall is a 50-bedroom luxury hotel with conferencing facilities, clay pigeon shooting, falconry and an off-road course. There are also plans in the pipeline to add a further 20 bedrooms and a spa.