EASTERN REGION
Regional Contact Member – Tom Green
First of all, an apology to Sally Bothwell, Buchanan flock, who took reserve champion at Ashby with her ewe lamb, which I got wrong in my previous report.
The Eastern show season continued at Heckington and we were hugely thankful to Matt Kehoe for travelling from Ireland to judge. It was a great day for David and Charlie Coe’s Wneham flock who took the red rosette in every class, taking the champion and reserve interbreed with a Celtic Picasso sired shearling ewe, Matt found his reserve in their ewe lamb. Thank you to Tracey and Martin Coates and Joe Trofer for supporting the classes.
David and Charlie Coe’s champion shearling ewe and reserve champion ewe lamb at Heckington Show with the judge, Matthew Kehoe.
Jacob classes returned to Leicestershire County Show on August Bank Holiday weekend, judged by local vet Chris Watton. Congratulations to the Cartwright family, Goldstone flock, who travelled from Shropshire to take champion and reserve with their shearling ewe and ewe lamb respectively. Thank you again to Tracey and Martin Coates and Joe Trofer for supporting the classes and it would be great to get more exhibitors here next year.
I would like to wish members who have purchased from the shows and sales good luck with their purchases. In particular I’d like to congratulate Martin Woodbridge and Jane Wallis who bought the top priced ram lamb, Salopearl Charlie, at Worcester for their Wadenhoe flock, Lisa Adams and Ben Coe who purchased the reserve champion Wharf Goldeneye to share between their Oakfields and Typhoon flocks, and Gilly Winchester who purchased the champion ewe from the Welsh Sale.
On to our own sale at Melton Mowbray, I will refer you all the full sale report written elsewhere but I would like to congratulate all exhibitors and purchasers. In particular Wyn, Siwan, Sara and Lois Harries on gaining champion and two of the top prices, Jane and Alan Nightingale who had the reserve champion. and finally Tracey and Martin Coates who had the reserve male champion and top priced male, and congratulations to them on purchasing the champion, and to Katherine Morley who purchased their ram lamb.
I would like to thank Wyn Harries and Clive Richardson for inspecting and Jean Simmons for her stewarding, writing for the inspectors and adjudicating and for them all giving up their long weekend as without their support the show and sale wouldn’t be possible. Thanks as well go John Dixon for judging. 
James Cartwright with his champion shearling ewe and reserve champion ewe lamb at Leicestershire County Show
I would like to welcome our new member Gemma Knott on behalf of the Salvation Army’s Hadleigh Farm Estate in Essex. Their Rare Breeds Centre is open to the public if anyone is in the area.
By the time this is published I hope that a flock competition will have been arranged and held in the late autumn and either way we will be holding a winter get together soon.
In my own flock all ewes have now been tupped with only a handful of returns from the sponges and I look forward to the progeny from the seven tups (yes seven, my father despairs) I used this autumn at the end of January. It’s a quiet time for the flock with retained lambs being given a clear out drench for worms and just a couple of ram lambs of both breeds we keep pedigree to halter train. Ewes are away at grass now the rams are out and will be given energy and protein buckets for the last eight weeks of pregnancy with concentrate feed introduced around Christmas time.
I wish everyone a Happy Christmas and New Year and good luck at lambing time. I can be contacted in the meantime on or on 07800 817850.