CHARITY auctions staged alongside the welcome return of Skipton Auction Mart’s 14th annual Christmas primestock shows and sales in their recognised all-inclusive format realised a total of £4,000 for the usual three main beneficiaries, Sue Ryder Manorlands Hospice in Oxenhope, Brooklands Community Special School in Skipton and national farming charity, the Addington Fund.

As in previous years, all entries in the indoor show classes, plus other prizes donated by local businesses and individuals, were auctioned off late in the day to ever-generous bidders, primarily from the regional agricultural communities. These raised over £3,600, the extra coming from John Penny & Sons in Rawdon, which again donated the entry fees from the same day’s standalone lamb carcase competition.

Going under the charity hammer were all entries in the 14 indoor show classes, both food and non-food related, and for both adults and children, along with the annual fodder hay competition, in which Tony and Kay Kiernan, of Longridge, retained the championship they won when the show class was last staged two years ago, again with their first prize bale of haylage, while reserve champions with a bale of old meadow hay were Coniston Cold’s David and Jacqui Coates.

Individual class winners in the indoor section were: Sausage rolls – Barbara Bamforth, Slaithwaite, containing pork from same way bred pigs as her son Adam’s Skipton Christmas prime pig champions, Scotch eggs – Millie Eaton, Skipton, chutney – Anne Telfer, scones – Isobel North, Giggleswick, mince pies – Jill Perrings, Giggleswick, flavoured gin – Margaret Watkinson, Hutton Sessay, Christmas fruit cake – Eileen Addyman, Skipton, Victoria sandwich cake – Sue Heseltine, Bolton Abbey, stollen cake – Hazel Gamble, Easingwold, photograph – Rosie Garth, Long Preston, festive Xmas decoration – John North Jnr, Giggleswick.

Children’s classes: Edible necklace – Edie King, Salterforth, decorated paper cup – Edie King, baking cookies – Rosie Garth, decorated bottle – Isobel Thompson, Foulridge. Individual class judges were Margie Stockdale, Sam Bradley, Jill Perrings, Christine Ryder and Margaret Watkinson.

Between them, the three charities have shared windfalls running into many thousands of pounds since the event’s inception.

In the same day’s Christmas prime lambs sale Michael Daggett and family, from Hartlington, donated a young handlers lamb shown by Mr Daggett’s grandchildren, seven-year-old Lucy and five-year-old Henry Tyson. It went on to sell no less than eight times when re-donated by generous bidders, making an additional £1,296 for Sue Ryder Manorlands Hospice.

In fact, fund-raising efforts have been seen throughout the year at CCM Skipton, several in aid of Cumbrian young farmer Hannah Brown, of Dutton, who died so tragically young earlier this year, Back in May, several sheep donated in Hannah’s memory raised £2,240 for Eden Valley Young Farmers Club. In addition, other charity lamb sales raised hundreds of pounds for Sepsis UK, again in Hannah’s memory.

Manorlands funds were further boosted, first by £1,500 through a charity steak night organised by former livestock buyer and CCM director, Coniston Cold’s Michael Winchester, then £500 from a lamb donated by Ken and Hazel Gamble, from Easingwold, in memory of former Skipton mart foreman Royston Baxter, of Steeton, who passed away recently.

Skipton Auction Mart’s general manager and auctioneer Jeremy Eaton, said: “The generosity of our customers - both vendors and bidders – has again been truly amazing, boosting the coffers of worthwhile charities which do such wonderful work at both national and regional level.”