THIS year's Farmers Charity Auction held at Carlisle’s Borderway Auction Mart attracted hundreds of entries, brought in scores of bidders and raised over £58,000 for local causes.

The 2019 Auction, held on Friday, January 25, involved auctioneers from C and D Longtown, Harrison and Hetherington, Hopes of Wigton, Mitchells of Cockermouth, Penrith Auction and North Cumbria NFU, and demonstrated the amazing support from the rural community for this event that has been running for over 35 years.

The list of items ranged from fur and feather, to feed and food, and a host of rurally focused or produced miscellany. Amongst the livestock donated were several calves, a pair of Herdwick lambs, straws of semen and a batch of 25 pullets. Feed included bales of all kinds, shapes and sizes, salt licks and calf milk. Food to bid for included the second placed top item of a barbecue for 100, bags of potatoes, a butchered red deer carcase, a pig and several home-made sponge cakes – one of which was resold after the auction and raised another £100!

The monies raised will be split across four charities: the Heart Centre Cumberland Infirmary, the North Cumbria Stroke Fund, RABI and Life Education Cumbria.

Star item was a Yamaha Quad Bike, which raised the record price of the day.

Chairman of the Farmers’ Charity Auction, Nick Utting, said: “We were overwhelmed by the support we have received. Thanks go to all the donors, bidders – whether successful or not – and to the NFU and five marts who came together to organise it – as well as the auctioneers who brought their gavels to the ring.

"My thanks go to the individual farmers and agricultural based businesses for their valuable contributions, which made the auction possible. The event was well supported on the day and we even had telephone bids from as far as Aberdeen.

"We look forward to making our donations to the chosen charities when the monies have all come in.”