Skipton Auction Mart festive charity showcase nets record amount
Charity auctions staged alongside Skipton Auction Mart’s 12th annual Christmas primestock shows this year realised over £5,000 for several charities, a record amount. (Sunday, December 1)
As in previous years, the main beneficiaries are Sue Ryder Manorlands Hospice in Oxenhope, Brooklands Community Special School in Skipton and national farming charity, the Addington Fund, who will all receive a share of the £4,262 raised to date, with potentially more still to come in. Between them, the three charities have shared windfalls running into many thousands of pounds since the event’s inception.
All entries in the indoor show classes, plus other prizes donated by generous local businesses and individuals, were expertly auctioned off later in the day by the mart’s new junior auctioneer, Kyle Hawksworth, to extremely supportive and generous bidders, primarily from the regional agricultural communities, many of whom are familiar faces at the mart.
Some were sold as standalones in memory of the late James ‘Amos’ Dewhirst, of Winterburn, auction mart regular, show judge and true character who recently passed away. These raised a further £860 for Cancer Research UK and The UK Sepsis Trust.
The event is growing in popularity year on year and there was an increased offering this year of 18 indoor show classes, both food and non-food related, and for both adults and children, along with the annual fodder hay competition.
Champion in the fodder hay competition was Tony Kiernan, of Longridge, with his first prize bale of haylage, while reserve champion with a bale of old meadow hay was Richard Close, of Starbotton, who won the title last year.
Robinsons Farm Shop, based at Wall Close Farm, Score Hill, Halifax, won the speciality cold eating pie competition, while Darley’s Jackie Dalby, a familiar face in the mart’s front office, took first prize with her sausage rolls, as did Skipton’s Millie Eaton with her pair of Scotch eggs, both for the second year running. Jackie also designed the best hand-knitted flower.
The best Christmas cake came from Jill Perrings, of Giggleswick, with her eight-year-old nephew, John, a pupil at his local primary school, presenting the winning festive flower arrangement. Keeping it in the family was his elder sister, Isobel, who won the children’s decorated letter competition class.
Well-known Shorthorn cattle Jeremy Daggett, from Hartlington, also demonstrated his prowess in the kitchen when presenting the best Victoria sandwich cake, while Philip Dolphin, from Skipton, was on the crest of a wave when presenting the first prize stollen cake.
Chutney champion was Gisburn’s Susan Wallbank, another well-know face in the mart office, while Sue Heseltine, from Bolton Abbey, preserved a growing reputation as the best jam maker, with Beamsley’s Cathy Cromarty finishing first and second with her caramel shortbreads. Hazel Gamble, from Easingwold, was on another winner with the best mince pies, while distilling success with her sloe gin was Silsden’s Sally Fort.
Back in the children’s section, Katelyne Squires, from Skipton, hand-crafted the best decorated mini rolls, with another family member, Mackenzie Squires, also coming up with a recipe for success with the best decorated pizza base. Last, but not least, Sam Eastwood, of Emley, Huddersfield, designed the best decorated Christmas card.
Judging was in the capable hands of a quartet of lady aficionados, Liz Gudgeon, Angela Grisedale, Dorothy Dean and Wendy Hall.
“It was another truly superb result. We thank all the competition winners, others who generously donated prizes and all charity buyers who dug so deep yet again in aid for some extremely worthwhile causes,” said Skipton Auction Mart’s general manager Jeremy Eaton