We meet approx 3-4 times a year for committee meetings and if anyone is
worried it is all females I can assure them there a several men on the Committee!!!
we don't get all our own way??

We try and arrange a Spring Walk of some description and of course we have
our usual yearly Flock Competition.

We are arranging a skittles evening later on in the year with another Breed
Society and hope of course we shall WIN!!!!

The annual general meeting is held in October at a very nice Public House and
is attended very well considering our members are spread out as far as Leicester
in the North to Gloucester in the South. We try and pick a venue fairly central to
cover everyone.

We have several members who you may see around the shows showing their sheep
to their best, and I am proud to say they all do very well.

Why not Join Us!

We have had a very busy year, starting in May with a visit to Broadfield Farm Estate, managed by Dick Roper for Mr Wills of Wills Tobacco. We had lunch at the local pub, where we were met by Dick who toured us around the organic estate on tractor and trailer to see the herd of 600 Aberdeen Angus cattle and 620 ewes of which 160 were pure Lleyn. It was a lovely day and a very interesting visit which we all enjoyed very much. June was our next visit, this time to a Duchy Estate Farm at Tetbury. We spent the morning at Wetonbirt Arboretum admiring trees and shrubs from around the world, had a spot of lunch and then met at Prince Charles' farm, an 800 acre organic farm, running a dairy herd of 180 Ayrshire cows which looked absolutely beautiful all coming in for milking in a state of the art parlour with one dairyman. They have changed from a 500 mule x Suffolk flock but now have a purebred Lleyn flock. Farm manager, Mr Wilson explained that the farm belonged to 14 different breed societies as they are always being given gifts of sheep of different breeds. They have 40 to 50 acres of vegetables which are sold to supermarkets and also around the village in a box scheme, which he informed us is doing very well.

Several of the Midland members have had very good success around the shows this year including the Royal, Royal Welsh, Yorkshire and Three Counties.

Next was our workshop in August, held by very kind permission of the Chairlady and her family at their farm, Ardencote near Alcester. We had a brilliant turn-out with many new faces and in some classes there were 14 entries. Afternoon rain did not dampen spirits. The judge was Mr John Roberts and his wife, Pam kindly ran our Tombola. Many thanks to the Gunn family.

The club, with help from Steve Watkins and staff ran a show and provided refreshments on the evening of the Ross-on-Wye Sale. We had a very good turnout and the results were as follows: Ewe Lambs - 1st Shirley Frost, 2nd Charles Geldard, 3rd Dai Morris; Shearling Ewes - 1st Carol & John Burrows, 2nd Mr & Mrs Rushbrooke, 3rd Jim Dufosee; Shearling Rams - 1st Mr G Robson, 2nd Mr E Ellis, 3rd Mr J Davies.

Our flock competition was delayed until October by popular demand, resulting in increased entries. So much so that we had to ask our judge Dewi Ellis if he could possibly spend 3 days visiting members flocks covering Wales, Hereford, Cotswold and of course, closer to home, Warwickshire and Worcestershire. Results: Large Flock - 1st Marcus & Kathryn Bullock, 2nd Broadfield Farm Estate (Dick Roper), 3rd Wallace McCurdie; Small Flock - 1st Graham Robson, 2nd Shirley Frost, 3rd Susan Peters. Overall winner was Marcus Bullock and the winning new entry for 2004 went to Broadfield Farm Estate.

December saw our agm and dinner at Ragley Hall near Alcester - a lovely stately home. The chef and his team did us proud as we all tucked into a festive meal complete with crackers. Our speaker was Merv Forster who told us about his travels to the Brazilian Rainforest, and showed us some of the articles which he had brought back with him. A raffle was held in aid of the Air Ambulance and I am proud to say we collected a fantastic £140 for them. As you can see we have been very busy and hope 2005 can be equally as good.

If you would like to join our merry band please contact;
Wallace McCurdie
Bondon Farm
Birdingbury
Rugby
Warks

Tel: 01926 633397
E Mail mccurdie@fmail.co.uk

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