A Powys farm was left “buzzing” after winning reserve champion at the first attempt at the Royal Highland Show.

Robbie Alman-Wilson who breeds sheep with her husband at Cwnch farm in Llanbister had a stunning success first time out at the Royal Highland with their Dutch Spotted Sheep.

“We try to do all the biggest shows every year, we’ve done quite well,” said Robbie. “Obviously we got to the Royal Welsh but we have also do the Royal three counties show and the Great Yorkshire show which has been the national show for the Dutch Spotted Sheep.”

However, this year they decided to enter their yearling Cwnch Gin Campari along with two others in to the show and immediately picked up reserve champion in the breed.

OTHER NEWS:

“We did Devon County Show last year but the Royal Highland along with the Royal Welsh and the Great Yorkshire are the three big shows for this breed and we always wanted to go,” said Robbie.

“This year the sheep were looking pretty good so we decided to go up to the highlands.

“To come back with the reserve female champion made the journey worthwhile.

“There are some big breeders up there and to be able to compete with them, to get placed at all was pretty good.

“She was highest classed yearling as well, all our females placed we. We went up there and hoped to just get a rosette but to have everything placed and get the female reserve champion we were buzzing.”

County Times: Subscriptions promotion

The Dutch spotted are a relatively new breed in the UK having only been farmed here for about six years but are growing in popularity.

Reserve champion Cwnch Gin Campari is home bred and they are hoping for further success when they go to the Royal Welsh Show and the Great Yorkshire Show later this year.

The farm has been part of Robbie’s husbands family for generations and this is not the first success they have had after picking up overall supreme champion at the sales in Carlisle last year.