ENGLISH NATIONAL champion sheep shearer, Stuart Connor, will be attempting to break a British shearing record this month in memory of his daughter, Grace, who tragically died of Mitochondrial disease, aged three.

Stuart will be putting his shearing skills to the test to beat the current record of 781 for the number of lambs sheared in nine hours, and raise money for Team Grace and The Lily Foundation.

The event, on Saturday September 21, will be hosted by Andy Wear at Fern Hill Farm, Compton Martin, Somerset, who will also be providing the Romney cross Shetland lambs for the challenge.

Mole Valley Farmers is donating the wood for the shearing stage and will also be providing refreshments throughout the day. The Mole Valley Farmers team will be asking for donations for teas and coffees, with all proceeds going to the charity.

The challenge will kick off at 5am, with Stuart undertaking nine hours of shearing across a 12 hour day. As well as the record attempt, there will also be wool crafts, rural events, food, a bar and hopefully, sheep dog trials, making it a great family day out. The plan is to also have some music to wind up the event.

Stuart has wanted to undertake a record attempt for Grace for some time. As a toddler she loved everything to do with dad’s work and enjoyed going into nursery and telling them all about it.

“She was a copy cat. She had her own pair of shearing jeans and her own foam rollers…she loved everything I did, whether it be driving the tractor, shearing sheep or being with the dogs,” said Stuart, who’s married to Grace’s mum, Kira.

Stuart has already shorn 900 lambs in nine hours as part of a personal challenge during one of seven stints in New Zealand. However, this time he will be under the scrutiny of judges from The British Isles Shearing Association to ensure everything is done correctly.

Stuart is a familiar face on the show circuit having competed for England in the World Shearing Championships in France this year. Here he reached the semi-final of the individual competition and came fourth in the team competition with partner, Adam Berry. At the Royal Welsh Show this summer he also came second in the Six Nations competition with team mates Adam Berry and Matt Smith.

On the day of the record attempt, there will be a collection for The Lily Foundation and Mitochondrial Disease at the gates. All of the profits from the event will then go straight to the charity.

Donations to The Lily Foundation can be made on the day of the event or the Just Giving Page: https://www.justgiving.com/campaigns/charity/lilyfoundation/teamgrace

You can find out more on the Stuart Connor - 9 Hour British Lamb Shearing Record Attempt Facebook page.