EASTERN REGION – Regional Contact Member – Tom Green
Summer continued to be dry in the east with many members having to feed sheep over summer, hopefully now in September the weather has broken, and the grass has freshened up a bit for everyone.
First, I would like to offer the regions huge congratulations to Joe Trofer-Cook who reached the final three in the British Farming Awards for the Kaleb Cooper New Entrant Award. This followed on from Joe taking the reserve championship in the Young Handlers at the Great Yorkshire Show following a win in the oldest section, and his brother Ernie also won the youngest section meaning two of the three brothers were in the championship.
The Eastern show season continued at Heckington where John Dixon presided over the judging. Richard Chapman’s Churchland aged ewe was John’s champion on the day. This first crop ewe is a Churchland Samuel daughter and was champion as a shearling at Hope Show in 2024. She had to fight off stiff competition from David and Charlie Coe’s Wenham shearling ewe who took reserve. This one sired by Celtic Picasso was champion at Suffolk and the Royal Norfolk and had been destined for the sale at Melton Mowbray the previous year until BTV restrictions prevented it from coming. I was rather pleased to take the red rosette in the ewe lamb class with my pretty Border Bugler daughter out of a homebred dam by my own Chestnut Yellerbelly, this ewe lamb comes from my Fineshade line. In the male classes Joe Trofer-Cook won the ram class with Fenland Oh -Eck, a 4-horn shearling by Hope Diamond. Tracey and Martin Coates won the ram lamb class with Ahmere Brandon, a Beiliau Lancaster son. Jacob classes again featured at Leicestershire County Show on August Bank Holiday weekend; we were very grateful to Jean Simmons for stepping in to judge at the last minute. The classes were well supported by both Central and Eastern Region members alike. Congratulations to Jane and Alan Nightingale who took championship with their Firtree shearling ewe and Kay and Sean Carpenter who took reserve with their Lickhill ewe lamb. The Carpenters also won the ram lamb class with Lickhill Perdix. Thank you to Tracey and Martin Coates, Fenella Bellinger, Helen Wright and Charlotte Lamb for supporting the classes and it would be great to get more exhibitors here next year. Special mention to young shepherd, Sam Wright, who took 1st prize in the Young Handlers with his Mum’s Valeland Ram lamb.
I would like to wish members who have purchased from the shows and sales huge amounts of luck with their purchases. I’d like to congratulate Tracey and Martin who bought the reserve male champion, Beiliau Captain, and 2nd placed Beiliau shearling ewe at Worcester.
Onto our own sale at Melton Mowbray, I will refer you all the full sale report written elsewhere but I would like to thank all exhibitors and purchasers. Congratulations go to Charlie and David Coe on winning champion and reserve with their ram and ewe lambs respectively. Jane and Alan Nightingale who had the reserve male champion and Lisa
Adams who had the reserve female. I would like to thank Wyn Harries and Clive Richardson for inspecting and Jean Simmons for her stewarding and adjudicating and giving up their long weekend, without their support the Show and Sale wouldn’t be possible. Thanks as well go John Fozzard for judging. Twenty-two members and families enjoyed a great presale meal at an Italian Restaurant in Melton Mowbray and a great time was had by all.
I would like to welcome our new members Nick and Rebecca Kiddy and wish them well with their Jacobs.
The Eastern Region AGM and Christmas meal will again be held at The Bell Inn, Stilton on the 23rd of November.
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