After a week of celebrations marking the 50th Anniversary of Harrison & Hetherington’s move to Borderway Mart in Carlisle, the firm commemorated its Borderway birthday with a breakfast reception and a sale opened by guest auctioneer Michael Dickie.
On the exact day 50 years after the first sale at Borderway, the reception brought together a living history of the mart’s first half century, including retired colleagues, staff, current board members and executives from all H&H businesses, and staff who have served 20 years or more with the firm.
Managing director Scott Donaldson paid tribute to the guests and to those no longer present who had helped to build Borderway into one of the most successful livestock trading hubs in the UK. Scott then invited the day’s guest of honour to start the bidding for the first lot in the breeding sheep sale that opened the day’s business at 10.30am.
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Michael Dickie was an auctioneer when the mart opened 50 years ago to the day, and he had clearly forgotten none of his skills. Under his hammer went a Suffolk ewe from Glynis and Taylor Soulsby from Williamsgill, Temple Sowerby, Penrith, which sold for £440.
“It was a privilege to be asked to auction that first lot, and as I expected it brought back many memories of those exciting early days,” he said.
It was a fitting end to a week of 50th anniversary shows and sales, which saw the prime lamb competition on the Monday won by a pair of Beltex from Messrs Musgrave, Cardew Hill, scale 48kg and sell for £560 per head.
Champion amongst the prime and cast cattle was an entry from Messrs Stamper, Rose Farm which made 345p per kg or £2228.70, having scaled 646kg.
Messrs Fell, Chapel Farm, took the championship at the store lamb sale with entries that later made £180 per head, while the champion store cattle animal was a British Blue heifer from Messrs Millar, Crookholm that sold for £3500.
A Charolais bull calf from John Park, Dalpeddar won the championship at the 50th anniversary calf show and sale and sold for £800.
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