David Parkin on a big wheel for the Northern Powerhouse, the Leeds 10k and bald facts

I CAN tell I’m getting to know the Great Yorkshire Show: I didn’t need to use a map to navigate my entire way around this vast event this week.

The annual agricultural jamboree enjoyed fantastic weather and great attendances over its three days and is now so much more than a place where farmers show off their animals.

I had a wander around the showground with its food halls, car displays and stands selling tweed jackets and salmon-pink strides, before heading to the Welcome to Yorkshire BBQ at its stand next to the big wheel.

Talking of big wheels, the newly knighted Sir Gary Verity, chief executive of the tourism organisation, was on fine form in his yellow Tour de France chinos and crisply-pressed blue shirt with white collar.

Clearly lots of people have been asking Sir Big V if he is interested in the mooted mayor of Yorkshire job.

He made it very clear that he isn’t (the third time I’ve seen him say it) but he did call for a mayor to represent the whole of the county’s 5.2m people, rather than dividing things up into four sub regions with a mayor to represent each of them.

He made the point that that approach would create four bridesmaids “to Manchester’s bride” as part of the so-called Northern Powerhouse.

Those on the other side of the Pennines have a head start when it comes to devolution, having already agreed to take on wider decision-making and funding from central government in exchange for agreeing to the creation of the role of an elected mayor for Greater Manchester.

Sir Gary made a strong case for Yorkshire not missing out. It has a bit of a record of this in the past, in my opinion.

Now he wasn’t making this argument to the likes of me or the bloke from Emmerdale.

But also among the guests were several key elected representatives from the region including Judith Blake, the new leader of Leeds City Council and Peter Box, leader of Wakefield Council and the chair of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority.

Sir Gary’s ability to bring the region together behind the phenomenally successful Tour de France Grand Depart was clear.

He may now face an even bigger challenge: trying to make a bunch of politicians put aside historic squabbles and petty differences and to unify for the long term good of Yorkshire.

I can see why people would suggest him as a mayoral candidate. He isn’t a politician and has achieved success in business and beyond.

But if he isn’t going to do it, then who is?

I don’t think there are any stand out candidates among the political set and would someone in business really fancy the job?

I was chatting to someone the other day who threw the name William Hague into the ring.

It is a good idea but he’s just left Parliament and I’m sure is set on pursuing a lucrative post-political career in business and public speaking.

So, as they say on The Apprentice: The search continues...

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The Run For All Leeds 10k is one of those great days of the year when everybody you look at seems to be smiling.

Well, nearly all the time.

I was grinning at the outset of the event, helped by race announcer Jon Hammond (him with the melodic voice) giving me a mention as I passed the start line.

“There’s David Parkin, ladies and gentlemen. Looking as fit as a fiddle,” boomed Jon over the microphone, as I raised an arm in similar style to the way Alan Shearer used to do when he celebrated scoring a goal.

It wasn’t arrogance, I think being elevated to pseudo-celebrity status by Jon, rendered me speechless.

I saw a woman on the start line turn to her husband and say: “Who the hell’s that?"

Someone said to me later: “How come you got mentioned? Anybody would think you were famous.”

I took part in the Clarion Corporate Challenge, running in the team entered by business support group Walsh Taylor.

A few members of the Yorkshire business community who were running in the race, including Roger Hutton of Clarion, Mark Ranson of Armstrong Watson and Mark Raven of FDYL, spotted me on the way round and my response to shouts of “Parky!” was to raise my arm and affect a vague wave.

But by that point I didn’t have the ability to run and speak at the same time.

I was red-faced and sweating as I staggered over the finish line outside Leeds Town Hall last Sunday morning, but pleased to have got round in 48 mins and 45 seconds despite dodgy knees and minimal training.

As I approached the queue for the finishers’ T shirts, I saw Richard Moran, from Clarion, helping out as a steward.

He congratulated me on finishing and sensibly avoided shaking my outstretched sweaty palm.

My former colleague at TheBusinessDesk.com, Zoe Roberts, now a trainee at Clarion, thrust a bottle of water into my hands and told me I didn’t look red at all.

I even managed a bit of networking over a cup of tea and a Danish pastry in the Town Hall afterwards.

Although I think the pitch of providing “high quality, bespoke events” was not delivered effectively by someone with a face as red as a beetroot and quivering legs.

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IT was always going to happen.

Someone, sometime, was going to take what I write seriously.

A couple of weeks ago I had a night out in Harrogate and mentioned the prevalence of “blonde divorcees” in some of the spa town's bars.

It prompted this comment on the blog from a female reader: “Not sure about the blonde divorcees…what about the short bald men who are trashed that seem prevalent in Harrogate or am I hanging out in the wrong places…?”

Poor thing. It sounds very traumatic.

I have to say I didn’t see anyone fitting that description while I was there.

Have a great weekend.