Snowfall fails to stop young sheep enthusiasts

16th March 2015

Wintery conditions on the day of the NSA Central Region Winter Fair in late January meant the Junior Shepherd Competition could not be completed in full – but competitors and organisers refused to be put off and the contest went ahead when the weather cleared.

DART organised ‘stage two’, with thanks to Messrs A. and M. Hunter and their son Sam, who hosted the school teams at Turlowfields Farm, Hognaston, Derbyshire. The tight competition saw the final result between the nine teams of first place for Lady Manners School, Bakewell, Derbyshire (top picture), second for Thomas Alleyne’s High School, Uttoxeter, Staffordshire, and third for Anthony Gell School, Wirksworth, Derbyshire.

The winning team from Lady Manners School, actually had a little help from another school too! Natasha Clarke, Will Hancock and James Mellor from Lady Manners were joined by Josh Ellis from Ripley Academy to create an unbeatable team of junior shepherds. 

Ann Litchfield of DART says: “The students were a credit to themselves, their staff and schools. It was tremendous to see such a keen, competitive and sporting spirit. Thank you to Anne Payne, Sarah Helliwell and their colleagues at the NSA enabling us to progress with this event, which gives an unique opportunity for young agriculture students to develop and display their skills and knowledge in a positive way.”

Prizes were generously sponsored by NSA Central Region, DART, Griffiths Mill, M.G. Simister and Son, Mole Valley Farmers, Darley Dale, and A.L. Rural.

Prizes for young photographers too

While the snow hindered the junior shepherds, the opposite was true for 12-year-old Louis Foster (bottom picture). His picture of a single ewe in the recent snowfall won him first place in the inaugural NSA Central Region Winter Fair photography competition for under 17-year-olds.

Pictured from left to right are John Parsons (DART tutor), Sarah Helliwell (NSA Central Region Vice Chairman), winning competitors James Mellor, Josh Ellis, Will Hancock, Natasha Clarke, and Ann Litchfield (Competition Organiser).