A STALWART of Addingham & District Sheep Breeders’ Association again co-organised its 15th annual charity show and sale at Skipton Auction Mart in aid of Sue Ryder Manorlands Hospice, Oxenhope.

Joe Throup then won it with a home-bred North of England Mule wether lamb.

Joe, who farms with his family at Berwick Intake Farm, Draughton, stood champion with a lamb by N6 Smearsett, a Bluefaced Leicester tup bred in North Craven by the Booth family and himself a son of L11 Chelker from the Throups’ own pedigree flock, which set a new centre record breed price of 4,000gns (£4,200) at Skipton’s annual Bluefaced Leicester highlight in 2019 when purchased by the self-same Booths, father and son, David and Robin, of Old Hall Cottage, Feizor.

Furthermore, the Swaledale dam of the charity show victor was among a first-prize pen of ten acquired from Horton-in-Ribblesdale’s Stuart and Debbie Robinson at Skipton’s annual fixture for females of the breed last autumn.

When appearing in the sale ring, the title winner, recipient of the PFS Shield and picked out by co-judges Thomas Binns, of Downham, and John Stott, from Chipping, was sold five times in total after being bought, then re-offered by ever-generous bidders at the ringside.

It first sold to John and Pauline Turner, of Draughton – they traditionally open the bidding at the annual charity highlight – then, in turn, to NFU Mutual’s Skipton office, Simon Spensley, of Gargrave, Kettlesing’s Andrew Atkinson and, finally, Greg Foster, of Hesketh Bank, Preston.

The single lamb netted £840 in total, a magnificent sum bearing in mind that the same day’s overall selling average for Mules was £81.74, with many others among the 32 donated by farmers across the region, both in the show and the main sale, hitting £100-plus.

Additional sale items, including cakes, produce and shepherd’s crooks donated by members of the local farming community, also went under the hammer, with overall proceeds totalling a resounding £4,863, almost £1,000 more than in 2020, further boosted by personal donations of around £300. Over the years, the seasonal showcase has raised some £55,000 for Sue Ryder Manorlands.

Back in show, predominantly featuring North of England Mules, runners-up for the second consecutive year were Ellis Bros, of Addingham Moorside, also with a home-bred Mule wether lamb by N1 Ilkley Moor, a tup with both Booth and Neil Marston bloodlines and, going back even further, to Cumbrian breeder William Wallace’s Gapshield flock. It sold twice and made £270.