Hundreds of farmers from across Westmorland and Furness packed into Ulverston’s Coronation Hall for a special show from Scottish comedian Jim Smith.

Jim is a working farmer from Perthshire who has diversified into stand-up comedy becoming a big star North of the Border appearing in TV comedy shows on the BBC and performing to sell-out crowds across the country with his unique blend of rural humour.

It is part of the WAF’s cultural strategy to develop audiences in our rural communities, so the Coro team reached out to him and managed to get the venue included for a date on his first ever tour in England. The Coro worked with local agricultural societies, shows and young farmers clubs to spread the word about the performance.

The show sold nearly 400 tickets with the farming community heavily represented with audience members from across area from Kirkby Stephen to Drigg!  A fantastic night was had by all, with Jim’s trials and tribulations as a working farmer striking a real chord with the crowd.

The Coro team also marked the occasion by naming one of Ulverston Brewery’s draught beers “Jim’s Red Dies-ale” in honour of his visit.

Coro GM Rick Holden said: “Reaching out to our rural communities offers a huge opportunity for us to develop the audience at the Coro.  Everyone had a fantastic night, and the feedback we got was excellent, so we hope that while they were here they may have seen details of a future show and come back to visit us.”