SHEEP farmers with a passion for the wool industry were proud of creating a successful new section for fleece entries at this year’s Aldborough and Boroughbridge Show.

The show, held for the second time at Dishforth Airfield, near Boroughbridge, reported high numbers of entries in produce, cattle and sheep, as well as good numbers in new sections including the fleece and Land Rover Discovery.

Emma Chester, a sheep farmer, and Linda Alderson, a sheep farmer’s daughter, were running the sheep section and had introduced the fleece classes this year.

Ms Chester said: “We are passionate about wool as a product and thought it was time to give it a push and get people interested.

“We have had a great response, and were really grateful for the help from Stephen Spencer from the British Wool Marketing Board, who gave lots of advice and came to judge our entries."

Ms Alderson added: “It is a great product and we hope that next year the class will be even better as we have had a lot of people being really positive about it.”

The supreme sheep champion went to Stephen Kirby, from Ainderby Steeple, near Northallerton, for his shearling ewe Texel.

Mr Kirby, who has been showing for six years, has been a regular winner on the local show scene but said this year had been his most successful yet.

“This is the fifth show I’ve been to this year and I’ve had champion Texel at each show and interbreed champion at four.

The supreme cattle champion was owned by James Wilkinson from Leyburn, and his son Luke was the handler of the 17 month old British blue cross heifer.