The Game Fair, the world's biggest celebration of country sports, is coming home to Yorkshire next year to celebrate to centenary of its founders, the Country Land and Business Association, it was announced yesterday.

We'll be a hundred years old next year, but under no illusions that more than ever in our history farmers and landowners need a strong and credible voice in Brussels and Westminster

Dorothy Fairburn - CLA

The CLA was born at a meeting in the Royal Station Hotel, York, in 1907 to protect the rights of landowners and farmers at a time when towns and cities were expanding into the countryside at devastating speed. The Game Fair was created as part of its mission to explain country ways to the urban population - as well as giving country folk a chance to meet and have some fun together.

It has become a massive success, attracting football-match-size crowds: this year's show, at Romsey in Hampshire, was visited by an all-time record crowd of 138,000 people, beating the previous record of 132,000 set in 2003 when it was held at Harewood House, in Wharfedale.

Harewood, home of the Queen's cousin the Earl of Harewood, has been chosen again for the landmark centenary show and the association's Yorkshire director, Dorothy Fairburn, commented:

"We'll be a hundred years old next year, but under no illusions that more than ever in our history farmers and landowners need a strong and credible voice in Brussels and Westminster."

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