World champs head for Biggar

Dressage ace Joanne Eccles and wool rolling champion Claire Wilson will demonstrate their outstanding talents during an extravaganza also featuring top sheep, dairy cattle, beef cattle, horses, pigs, alpacas, dogs, poultry and ducks.

“This show will be a great family day out with fantastic animals and good entertainment,” said Biggar Show President David Paterson (53), who runs Biggar’s Wintermuir Farm.

“The standard of entries for the animal judging is fantastic. It just seems to get better and better every year.

“And it will also be great to see Joanne and Claire showing off their amazing skills.”

Seeing Joanne, of Kinross, performing stunning acrobatic moves while riding a horse during a lively 20-minute performance from 2.30pm will be wonderful for the assembled audience.

“It will be an extremely spectacular sight,” said Biggar Show committee member Mary Dunlop.

“Joanne is a highly skilled performer who has done a lot of training at Oatridge Equestrian Centre near Broxburn. She has won numerous European and World Championships, so I’d expect the crowd to be packed for her show.”

Showgoers may not be as familiar with the wool rolling routine of Broughton lass Claire. This will run from 7pm to supplement a thrilling speed shearing display by 40 competitors, including three world class exponents all the way from New Zealand.

“Those three guys are just amazing,” David added.

“I heard that they recently clipped 555 ewes between them in just four hours, which is incredible. The wool rolling is required after a session of sheep shearing has been done.

“You need somebody to take the wool and roll it into a package form to be taken away and processed.”

Mary said that Claire’s wool rolling skills were exceptional as the fleece had to be perfectly rolled into a ball. The wool is then taken away and made into a range of products including jumpers, carpets, house insulation and Harris tweed.

David revealed that the Biggar Show gates will open from 8am this Saturday, July 18.

Hunters and sports horses will be judged from 8.30am, with Shetland sheep and horses being assessed at 9am and texel sheep judged at 9.30am.

At 10am, the ladies industrial marquee will open, with judging of cattle, sheep and Clydesdale horses and Highland dancing.

Pony jumping will run from 10.30am to 11.30am, before children’s entertainment from 11am and the pipe band parade from the town centre to the showground at noon, when there will be a dog show.

From 1pm there will be a mounted dress and gymkhana, before a grand parade of prizewinning cattle and horses at 2pm is followed by the trophy presentation ceremony.

Main ring entertainments are available from 2.30pm, with a raffle draw at 4pm and a performance by the band Koda running between 4.20pm and 6pm.

After the speed shearing from 7pm, there is an after show disco from 9pm.

Quality catering will be provided via burger vans and hog roasts, with bar facilities, free car parking, baby changing facilities and a courtesy shuttle bus from Biggar starting at 10am.

Entry to Biggar Show is £10 for adults and £5 for OAPs, with free entry for the under-16s.

Call 01899 810262 for further information.