[Rosemary]

Hi, everyone

Just a quick post to update you on where we are with the Festival.

Well, it will take place at Forfar Market on Sunday 30th September 2012. Forfar is very accessible from the A90, one of the major Scottish trunk roads, and the market is easy to find. The nearest train station is Arbroath (13 miles). Nearest airport is Dundee, then Aberdeen.

The Festival will be opened by Tim Tyne, who will also be judging the sheep interbreed Champion and interbreed Pairs Champion.

The Festival website is on www.scottishsmallholdershow.co.uk. The full website will be launched during March but at the moment, you can register for email updates and download the trade stand pack and information on "Supporting the Festival", which has details on sponsorship, trade stands and donation of prizes, both single year and perpetual.

The Festival will have a livestock show, with a focus on rare and traditional breeds. There will be classes for sheep, pigs and goats plus a poultry show. The class schedules and entry forms should be available to download from the website at the end of March. The Festival will host the only Scottish qualifier for the RBST Youg Shepherd of the Year 2013 and we have a Butcher's Pig class, three classes for a Pair of Butcher's Lambs, wool on the hoof, best horns and veteran ewe classes in the sheep. Other classes may still be added.

We are currently working on attracting sponsorship for the Festival. We're absolutely delighted that Ascott Smallholding Supplies will be one of our Silver sponsors.   

Although we're contacting many of the major companies that supply to smallholders about the main sponsorship packages, we have lots of trade stand and advertising opportunities available.

Sponsoring an individual class costs £35, and as a new event with an empty prize table, we're especially delighted to accept donations of perpetual prizes.

In addition to the livestock and trade stands, there will be breed societies, crafts, food, seminars and demonstrations that will, hopefully, both inform and inspire 

The organising group is Karen McKay (HappyHippy), who's looking after pigs and crafts, Alan Sharpe, who's looking after trade stands, Beth Fairley (Ballingall), who's looking after the goats and me.

Personally, I've had an incredible amount of help from Tim and Dot Tyne in putting together the schedule of sheep classes and from Neil Watson, who is helping set up the poultry show.

We hope we're going to meet loads of you at the Festival, that you bring your stock to exhibit and that you have a really great time.

If you have any good ideas, please let us know - if we can't fit it in this year, we'll try again next year at Lanark.

[Brucklay]

Great - within distance for us and I just can't wait for some of my sheep to have a day out - should I pm re supporting a prize? How does it work? Am I right in thinking you would like a cup/trophy for two?

[bloomer]

its on the calendar as a day out!!!

[doganjo]

I am so disappointed that I'm not able to be one of your team after all, due to other commitments in the Midlands that same weekend, but may I wish the Festival every success, and I hope I may be able to come next year.

[Rosemary]

Great - within distance for us and I just can't wait for some of my sheep to have a day out - should I pm re supporting a prize? How does it work? Am I right in thinking you would like a cup/trophy for two?

That would be nice - we like shiny things.

Dan and I are donating a silver salver for the best coloured Ryeland - The Rosedean Salver  Actually, I don't know if I've told him that yet 

[Brucklay]

Sorry to bug you but will there be s Shetlands class? Will Castlemilks be in an 'any other rare breed class' would like to contribute a 'bit of silver' to a class I have an interest in (not told OH but he had expressed an interest in a stand for his artwork so I can do my bit)- will pygmy's be counted in goats?

[Rosemary]

Sorry to bug you but will there be s Shetlands class? Will Castlemilks be in an 'any other rare breed class' would like to contribute a 'bit of silver' to a class I have an interest in (not told OH but he had expressed an interest in a stand for his artwork so I can do my bit)- will pygmy's be counted in goats?

Yes, pygmys will be counted as goats.

Currently, the sheep schedule is set up as follows - there are six classes in each of five sections. The classes are ewe lamb, ram lamb, gimmer / ewe any age, ram any age, pair(male and female) and best exhibit. The sections are - Northern short tailed, British hill and upland, British lowland, British longwool and continental.

If we get more than 5 entries from two exhibitors from one breed in any class, we will run a separate class for it. OR if the breed society supports a separate class, then we'll set up classes. Does that make sense?

With so many sheep breeds, it's impossible to set up classes for every one and ensure reasonable competition. We'd end up amalgamating classes with low entries anyway so we're trying it this way round. As it's our first year, it's a bit trial and error as we don't know where the entries will come form, but we have tried to encourage British rare and traditional breeds.

Does that help?

[Brucklay]

Thank you Rosemary - we only ever get to the Turriff show so I'm looking forward to going and hopefully putting faces to some of the names I see on here.

[HappyHippy]

It's gonna be a goodie 
Looking forward to it 

[anderso]

Sounds like its going to be a good one sorry its so far in the north for us down below the Gap

[ellisr]

Sounds like its going to be a good one sorry its so far in the north for us down below the Gap

I'm driving up if you fancy a look up it will be an interesting weekend for me

[holz306]

I'll be going, and arranging some accommodation just outside fofar (tannadice) if anyone wantsa lift from the north-west coast, i;ll be heading from the isle of skye

[Rosemary]

Maybe if you can offer transport to other folk, start a new thread on this board saying where you're coming from in the title?

[princesspiggy]

id like to bring my bagots, the only 2 with good enough markings are a wether and a billy. is there a class for them?

[Rosemary]

id like to bring my bagots, the only 2 with good enough markings are a wether and a billy. is there a class for them?

Excuse my ignorance, please - are they meat or fibre producing goats?