Caring For Life’s Daytime projects initiative, based at its headquarters at Crag House Farm in Otley Old Road, Cookridge, Leeds, is very significant in helping vulnerable people to achieve a settled, constructive lifestyle.

The charity established its Crag House registered pedigree Lleyn flock four years ago and adults are fully involved in all aspects of the running the flock, which has had a great year in the show arena this summer, winning best of breed at both Driffield and Lincoln.

The first prize pen of ten ewe lambs, recipients of the JA Simpson Trophy, was shown by Caring For Life volunteer John Stanley, of Addingham, who explained: “We have about 100 ewes in the flock, which were put to our rams the week before the Skipton show.

“We bought one new tup this year from North & East Lleyn Breeders Club secretary Linda Barnard, of Welham, Malton. She supports the charity a great deal and has been brilliant for us.

“As well as selling our lambs at regional auction marts, they are also prepared for sale at our own Granary Farm Shop, where we have our own in-house butchery department. Dunbia Foods is also another major supporter.”

The show victors sold for £89 per head to John Bownass, of Fieldgate Farm, Giggleswick, and will be used for pedigree breeding in his 200-strong Lleyn flock. Mr Bownass also presented the top price pen of Lleyn shearlings, which realised £143 each, with 2-shear entries selling to a high of £105 for a pen from David Carlton, of Newton-in-Bowland. Overall, Lleyn gimmer lambs averaged a couple of pence above £60 per head.

The show formed part of Skipton’s fortnightly sale of 1,308 breeding sheep and rams, which saw Mule, half-bred and Continental shearlings dearer than the previous sale, with better quality ewes meeting a decent trade, though plainer sorts proved harder to cash.

Shearlings saw the best of the day’s trade, peaking at £150 per head for a Texel pen from JB Hacking, of Billington, with a breed average of £114. The same average was achieved by Mule shearlings, which topped at £131 for a pen from NEMSA Skipton branch chairman Neil Heseltine, of Malham. Swaledales sold to £120, these from A Towler, of Malham Moor.

Pedigree ram prices peaked at 520gns for a Texel from Simon and Audrey Taylor, of Huddersfield, followed at 320gns for a Blue Faced Leicester from Kevin Wilson, of Blubberhouses, and 300gns for a Suffolk from Steeton’s Mark Evans. The top price 320gns aged ram was another Texel from Burnsall’s John Gill.