Jan Hunter profiles Judy Kitching, the formidable fundraiser who has announced that her 30th CornShed will be her last

“YOU never know what hidden talents people have,” said Prince Charles to Judy Kitching when presenting her with an MBE at Buckingham Palace.

They were speaking of a mutual friend, Lord Crathorne, the former Lord Lieutenant of North Yorkshire who, Judy told the prince, was a jazz drummer in his spare time.

But Charles’ words aptly describe Judy herself, as she has spent the last 30 years raising money for so many causes in so many different ways.

Her most famous event is the CornShed, when her farm at Hutton Rudby is transformed into the venue of a music festival on a grand scale. It takes a year in the planning, with Judy accompanied by her daughters Martha and Annie and son-in-law Matty, working with a dedicated group of 150 volunteers, including bands, chefs, security, technicians, bar staff and caterers.

But the CornShed was born from a tragedy. Judy and her husband, Jim, had moved from London back to Yorkshire to take over the farm which had been in Jim’s family since 1893. They planned to get it on its feet, run it as a successful business and for Jim to do freelance film-making. Judy had trained as a language teacher, and Jim had finished his BA in Fine Art at Hull and his MA in film and photography at the Royal College of Art in London. They planned to get the farm on its feet, run it as a successful business and for Jim to become a freelance filmmaker.

It was not to be. Five years later in 1985, Jim died suddenly, aged 38, on the farm when he fell from a ladder, and Judy was left with two small children and a farm to run.

“It was a very difficult time,” said Judy. “Jim’s mum had also died five days before. I had such good friends and family who rallied round, and we wanted to do something in Jim’s memory. Many of his friends were musicians, so we came up with the idea of the CornShed. The first one was in 1986, a year after he died. The first posters and programmes were handwritten and the local Post Office copied them for me. We gave £3,500 to the intensive care unit at Middlesbrough General Hospital which had tried to save Jim’s life.”

The CornShed has grown and evolved over the years, as it became more and more popular. The first one was invitation only and was on for one night. The 5 bands played on a stage made up of stage blocks from a primary school, and the organisers and local pub did the food and bar. Around 350 people attended.

On the 20th year, they decided to make it bigger. They opened up the Romney Hut, linked the two stages by a marquee, and made it a two night event. Now it is slick and professional with three stages and 13 bands and it is attended by about 2,000 people.

Over the years more than £200,000 has been raised for the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) and at the end of April, Judy was invited to visit the service’s base at Durham Tees Valley Airport to see where the money has been spent.

“Judy has contributed such a huge amount to the charity,” said Jim Entwistle, Head of Media and Communications for the GNAAS . “Financially, through the CornShed, her efforts have resulted in many missions being flown and lives being saved. She has also become one of our greatest ambassadors and speaks from the heart about the importance of supporting the air ambulance.”

However, Judy has announced that this, the 30th CornShed, will be the last. She feels sad it has to end but feels that 30 years is a good time to stop. Costs are forever rising, and the event takes a huge amount of time and energy.

However, Judy being Judy, she has other fish to fry. This year she has officially handed over her farm business to her daughters, and in July she will become the first female president of Stokesley Rotary. In 2007, she received the Paul Harris Fellowship, from Stokesley Rotary, which is an international award for services to the community and which recognised her decades of fundraising for a playgroup and her work as chair of Stokesley School Governors and as clerk to Sexhow Parish Council.

Judy is nothing if not full of surprises: there is a room in her house dedicated to her collection of 3,000 egg cups, and she still wears the bright jacket she bought for the first CornShed in 1986 – “so I can easily be seen,” she said.

She is as passionate about history – she is secretary of the Hutton Rudby and District Local History Society – as she is about and Bryan Ferry, and she is impossible to say no to if she has a plan.

Her best friend Carol McGee, who herself has been awarded a British Empire Medal for her services to charity, said:” She has this unique effect of getting people involved and whatever she puts her mind to, one knows it will be a great success as she throws so much effort into fundraising. No stone is left unturned. Detail, no matter how small, is very important to Judy – everything has to be right and it always is.

Lord Crathorne, who has worked closely with Judy in the past, said: “Judy is one of those brave people who has managed to turn a tragedy into a triumph from which we have all benefitted. The Queen recognised her achievements with the award of an MBE.

“Judy, we salute you and thank you."