The Texel Sheep Society has said a key part of its 50th anniversary celebrations this year will be the Textravaganza National Show in July.
The Textravaganza National Texel Show will take place on Saturday, July 6, 2024, at Borderway Mart, Carlisle.
Preceded by the society’s Club Champions Day and the Summer Sizzler barbeque, this will be only the second staging of a Texel national show in the society’s history, with the first having taken place in 2021.
The event will feature 10 classes as well as young handlers’ competitions. Two judges will be placing the main classes.
Splitting the duties will be Crieff, Perthshire-based Robert Cockburn of the Knap flock who will place the female classes and Wennington, Lancashire-based Jennifer Aiken of the Coniston flock who will take charge of the male classes.
Both judges are well known in Texel circles, with successful flocks of their own and long-standing associations with the breed, Texel Sheep Society said.
Aiken and Cockburn
Aiken runs the Coniston flock in partnership with her husband Jeff and has enjoyed success in the sale ring, selling ram lambs to 10,000gns for Coniston Equinox.
She previously managed the Procters and Tatham Hall flocks with her husband, prior to their dispersal.
Aiken grew up surrounded by Texels, working with the Douganhill flock managed by her father, Brian MacTaggart.
Scottish breeder Robert Cockburn has been involved with Texels since establishing his flock in 2006 and has sold to a high of 170,000gns for Knap Grumpy, with other sales at 145,000gns for Knap Vicious Sid and 100,000gns for Knap General Lee.
Cockburn previously won the inaugural Textravaganza National Show in 2021 with Knap Daisy Duke.
Commenting on the appointments, Texel Sheep Society sales and shows committee chair, Alastair Gault, said it was great to have two such high profile judges for the event.
“Both judges are well known in the breed and their expert eye is well respected by their fellow breeders,” he said.
Cockburn said he was looking forward to judging the show and was honoured to have been asked to do so.
“Winning the inaugural Textravaganza was a great day, so being able to come back and the judge the classes this time is a huge privilege,” he said.
Meanwhile, Aiken said she was delighted to have the opportunity to place the male classes.
“It promises to be a great spectacle and a key part of the society’s 50th anniversary celebrations,” she said.
“Having been around Texels all my life it is exciting to have the chance to judge what promises to be an excellent show.”
While the judges will place their own sections independently, they will join forces to award the day’s championships.
Young handlers
Judging the young handlers’ classes for Texel enthusiasts aged under 16 will be Lowri Williams of the Caron flock, Lampeter.
Williams said the classes would be a great opportunity for younger participants to showcase their showmanship skills.
“There are a lot of great youngsters associated with the Texel breed and it will be an honour to judge these classes at this exciting event,” she said.
Adding to the society activities will be a fundraising effort for the society’s 50th anniversary charity, the Farm Safety Foundation (Yellow Wellies).
The society’s chief executive John Yates said: “The work of Yellow Wellies in highlighting the need for farmers to take care of both their physical and mental health is vital for safeguarding the future of the farming industry.”
