Staffordshire County Show sheep shearing competition 'will be biggest yet'

At the half term event there will be the usual junior, intermediate and senior competitions - but for the first time there will also be a novice blade shears and an open shears competition.

Staffordshire County Show, which takes place on May 29 and 30, will be one of only 10 places in England to hold a competition of this kind.

Those serious BISCA (British Isles Shearing Competitions Association) English Shearers amongst the competitors will also collect points to qualify for the English Shearer of the Year Awards.

Chief sheep shearing steward at the popular family show, Angela Cope, said: “This is a huge step for us and we’re delighted to finally be able to host an open competition.

“The sheep shearing committee has worked hard with improvements to the shearing stand to improve safety standards for the sheep and the competitors.

“There is much activity behind the scenes and we rely on volunteers as well as being extremely grateful to the experienced shearing judges who travel here from all over the UK to maintain a high standard.

“We are hoping the new competitions will attract some top quality competitors and that the viewing public will witness the skill, determination and experience needed to participate and succeed in the sport of sheep shearing.”

The new blade shearing competition will see participants use hand shears as opposed to machine shears. In the open competition the four finalists will have to shear about 15 to 20 sheep each to a very high standard.

“There will be approximately 550 sheep on site for the shearing competitions and we are indebted to a couple of local farmers for bringing the sheep to the showground,” Angela added.

All shearing competitions will take place on the Wednesday at the Showground in Weston Road.

On the Thursday the sheep shearing area hosts a shearing demonstration by a local shearing contractor, John Froggatt. Here the public can get a little closer, ask questions and enjoy a detailed description of the sheep shearing process.

A Wool Handling Competition, which was introduced for the first time last year, will also be returning.

Chief Executive of the Staffordshire and Birmingham Agricultural Society, Richard Williams, said he was delighted to have an expanding sheep shearing area.

He said: “We are very pleased that the sheep shearing area will be bigger and better than ever.

“Agriculture is at the heart of our show and this is a large part of what visitors are interested in.

“We also get a lot of young children seeing shearing for the first time and they are amazed. It is wonderful to see them all gasping in delight at the speed and technique these incredible shearers have.

“It really is a sight to behold.”

Tickets go on sale online from April 1. For more information about the show and sponsorship packages available, visit the website staffscountyshowground.co.uk.

For more information on how to enter, rules and prize money for the sheep shearing and wool handling competitions visit staffscountyshowground.co.uk/schedules and britishwool.org.uk/newsclip.