CHRIS Ryder improved on his runners-up slot last year when presenting the champion for the first time at Addingham & District Sheep Breeders’ Association’s 13th annual charity show and sale at Skipton Auction Mart, which raised over £4,000 in aid of annual beneficiary, Sue Ryder Manorlands Hospice.

Chris, who farms with his wife Christine at Scaife Hall Farm, Blubberhouses, clinched the title and the PFS Shield with a North of England Mule wether lamb by a home-bred tup that was also responsible for several of the family’s prize-winning gimmer lambs at Skipton’s opening NEMSA highlight in September.

Generous farmers donated 25 lambs in total, the majority again North of England Mules, which were judge by breed stalwarts, husband and wife Geoffrey and Valerie Porter, who run the Riddings flock in Reeth.

Bidders ringside were equally as big-hearted when the lambs went under the hammer, none more so than for the Ryder champion, which sold no less than ten times after being re-donated on multiple occasions to net a superb total of £1,480, a new record by far for the charity show victor. Take into account that the day’s overall selling average for Mules lambs was just under £60 per head then the result is even more amazing.

The title winner initially sold to John and Pauline Turner, of Draughton, for £260, then consecutively to show sponsor Carrs Billington for £240, NFU Mutual £200, regular livestock buyers Andrew Atkinson £160, and Daniel Towers £140, CCM Auctions £120, another frequent buyer Kevin Marshall £100, Keith Clay, of Coverall Clothing, £100, the co-judges £80 and finally for a second time to Mr Atkinson, again at £80.

Back in the show, standing runners-up, all with North of England Mules, were Joe and Nancy Throup, of Draughton, with last year’s victors, the Walker family, from Appletreewick, among the prizes again when finishing third, followed in fourth position by NEMSA’s national chairman Kevin Wilson, who also farms in Blubberhouses. Seven other show lambs sold between £100 and £260.

After the sheep, there was a sale of shepherds crooks, fruit cakes and produce, all donated by kind-hearted individuals, to further boost the charity kitty, which over the years has raised not far short of £50,000 for Sue Ryder Manorlands.

Both Addingham & District Sheepbreeders and CCM Auctions, which again waived its selling commission on all the charity lambs, paid warm tribute to the many farmers from across the region who had donated lambs, others who had given individual items and to all bidders and purchasers for digging so deep yet again. “It was another fantastic result for an extremely worthy cause,” said Addingham Sheepbreeders’ Joe Throup, one of the main organisers.

Molly Ralphson, Manorlands Community Fundraiser, said:”Manorlands relies so heavily on gestures such as these in our local community to be able to continue to provide more care for more people in the area. On behalf of all the patients and their families I would like to thank everyone involved for their time and generosity - £4,000-plus is a fantastic amount raised and could pay for a nurse for an entire month of specialist caring.”

In addition, Manorlands, along with national farming charity, the Addington Fund, and Brooklands Community Special School in Skipton, also share in a further windfall of over £5,000, itself a new record amount raised at charity auctions staged alongside Skipton Auction Mart’s annual Christmas primestock shows earlier this month.

The charity highlight formed part of Skipton’s fortnightly Wednesday Top Tags Animal ID-sponsored sheep sale of 3,143 head, the majority store lambs, which met a cracking trade throughout to average £63.12 overall. Mule lambs also saw excellent trade, 416 averaging £59.12, while horned lambs averaged £42. Midweek sheep sales return in the New Year on Wednesday, January 15.

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