South West Region

Welcome to the South West Region Jacob Sheep Society web page which imparts information to members in the counties of Dorset, Devon, Somerset, Cornwall and on the Island of Guernsey.

Regional Contact Member

 

Richard Fenwick

 

Richard Fenwick

Richard Fenwick

 

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Together with my wife Katie, we keep a small flock of Jacobs on our smallholding in the Camel Valley in North Cornwall. As well as looking after our sheep, much of our time is spent on a combination of pigs, chickens, bread making and vegetable growing.

Keeping sheep is a relatively new experience for us, having only lambed four times and shown for the first time at Royal Cornwall in 2023, so we are on a steep learning curve ourselves.

If you would like any help or advice please don’t hesitate to contact me. We are very happy to share our experiences and knowledge and can also introduce you to others in the area who have many more years behind them.

 

 

 

 

South West Aug 2024

SOUTH WEST REGION

Regional Contact Member – Richard Fenwick

Success at the English National

The South West was well represented at this year’s inaugural English National Show at The Royal Three Counties Show. Chris Fisher and Chris Slee made their way north and were both pleased to be well placed in a number of classes. Particular congratulations go to the Sparnham flock which was placed first in the classes for aged Ram, aged ewe, pair of sheep bred by the exhibitor, female champion and best English exhibit with their home bred aged ewe winning the reserve breed champion. Hopefully their success will be an encouragement to others to make the journey north to enter next year.

Aged Rams dominate County Shows

Strong entries from across the region ensured that both county shows were a celebration of the breed. Well done to breed champions, Halsbury Sanpellegrino at Devon County Show and Duxmore Ace at The Royal Cornwall Show from the Halsbury and Kezmor flocks respectively.

Kerry Gaden with her champion ram at the Royal Cornwall Show with judge, Mark Wakelin

South West Open Day

Members gathered at Treven Farm near Launceston, kindly hosted by Steve and Clair Cornelius and coordinated by Steph Jasper. We were very pleased to welcome to the meeting, Janet East, our new chair, as well as Clive Richardson, National Field Officer, who had travelled down from the Lake District to join us.

Chairman, Janet East, and Clive Richardson, National Field Officer, at the open day in Launceston, Cornwall

Chris Slee’s champion ram and Chris Fisher’s reserve champion ewe at Devon County show with the judge, Lyndon Trumper

Philip Warren speaking to members at the open day

Local butcher, Philip Warren, who has a countrywide reputation and supplies many of the top restaurants in London, gave us much to think about with a very informative and stimulating talk about trends in meat markets at a national level. He told us that we have the ideal breed to supply one of the few growing markets for lamb in the country, pointing out that slow growing, lean meat is much sought after among the Muslim communities, encouraging us, as a breed society, to work together to establish a reputation and a supply chain into this market.

Philip Warren brought his sculpture of a Jacob ram’s head to the open day

The younger attendees enjoyed an informative and practical workshop, being introduced to preparing a sheep for the show ring and the basics of handling.

Clive ran a very informative judges’ workshop which all attendees were welcome to attend. He gave us a very comprehensive overview of the finer points of judging, particularly focusing on how to rate the inevitable imperfections that we will always find in our sheep. Certainly lots to think about as we select our own show teams.

Thank you to PRJ Engineering for bringing along a good selection of Ifor Williams trailers for us to look at and for all the work, particularly by the Steve and Clair, for the amazing selection of food, which had a very local theme.

2026 National AGM coming to the South West

The region looks forward to hosting the AGM in 2026. Planning is already underway to organise flock visits and other activities in the Exeter area.

James Leonard’s champion ram at the Royal Bath & West Show

SOUTH WEST REGION

Regional Contact Member – Richard Fenwick

Success at the English National

The South West was well represented at this year’s inaugural English National Show at The Royal Three Counties Show. Chris Fisher and Chris Slee made their way north and were both pleased to be well placed in a number of classes. Particular congratulations go to the Sparnham flock which was placed first in the classes for aged Ram, aged ewe, pair of sheep bred by the exhibitor, female champion and best English exhibit with their home bred aged ewe winning the reserve breed champion. Hopefully their success will be an encouragement to others to make the journey north to enter next year.

Aged Rams dominate County Shows

Strong entries from across the region ensured that both county shows were a celebration of the breed. Well done to breed champions, Halsbury Sanpellegrino at Devon County Show and Duxmore Ace at The Royal Cornwall Show from the Halsbury and Kezmor flocks respectively.

Kerry Gaden with her champion ram at the Royal Cornwall Show with judge, Mark Wakelin

South West Open Day

Members gathered at Treven Farm near Launceston, kindly hosted by Steve and Clair Cornelius and coordinated by Steph Jasper. We were very pleased to welcome to the meeting, Janet East, our new chair, as well as Clive Richardson, National Field Officer, who had travelled down from the Lake District to join us.

Chairman, Janet East, and Clive Richardson, National Field Officer, at the open day in Launceston, Cornwall

Chris Slee’s champion ram and Chris Fisher’s reserve champion ewe at Devon County show with the judge, Lyndon Trumper

Philip Warren speaking to members at the open day

Local butcher, Philip Warren, who has a countrywide reputation and supplies many of the top restaurants in London, gave us much to think about with a very informative and stimulating talk about trends in meat markets at a national level. He told us that we have the ideal breed to supply one of the few growing markets for lamb in the country, pointing out that slow growing, lean meat is much sought after among the Muslim communities, encouraging us, as a breed society, to work together to establish a reputation and a supply chain into this market.

Philip Warren brought his sculpture of a Jacob ram’s head to the open day

The younger attendees enjoyed an informative and practical workshop, being introduced to preparing a sheep for the show ring and the basics of handling.

Clive ran a very informative judges’ workshop which all attendees were welcome to attend. He gave us a very comprehensive overview of the finer points of judging, particularly focusing on how to rate the inevitable imperfections that we will always find in our sheep. Certainly lots to think about as we select our own show teams.

Thank you to PRJ Engineering for bringing along a good selection of Ifor Williams trailers for us to look at and for all the work, particularly by the Steve and Clair, for the amazing selection of food, which had a very local theme.

2026 National AGM coming to the South West

The region looks forward to hosting the AGM in 2026. Planning is already underway to organise flock visits and other activities in the Exeter area.

James Leonard’s champion ram at the Royal Bath & West Show

Percy Clatworthy’s reserve champion ewe at the Royal Bath & West Show

Percy Clatworthy’s reserve champion ewe at the Royal Bath & West Show