East Anglia Support Group RBST

Getting to Know Us Day

2009-09-09T15:44:00.005+01:00

Rare Breeds Survival Trust – East Anglia

Leading Conservation charity which works to protect

breeds of British farm livestock from becoming extinct.

Please come and join us on a
Visit to the Museum of Norfolk Life at Gressenhall, near Dereham, Norfolk - followed by a BBQ.

Sunday, 20^th September 2009
3.00pm – 7.30pm

Free of Charge for non- members and for members of the national RBST who would like to know more about the East Anglia group. (Includes entry to the Museum and BBQ)

Our aim is to host a good outing and tell you about the RBST and its work in East Anglia.

Please contact Kerry Long
Telephone (01328) 701332 or email: kanga@which.net
for further details or to book your place.

(Booking essential or you will be charged £8.10 entry fee to the museum)

South Suffolk Show 10th May 2009

2009-05-11T16:11:00.002+01:00

Roger and Shirley Bowden manned a stand to fly the flag for the Group and for the Trust. Many of our members were showing livestock and some of our younger members put their Young Handlers' lessons to good use - Hamish Beaton won the Young Handlers' championship. It is a good early show which makes us look out all our bits and pieces neccessary for showing - and concentrates the mind on picking out and halter training the stock!

Young Handlers Day - Stonham 19th April

2009-05-11T09:52:00.004+01:00

From Gail: We had a good day - my fear that there would be too few sheep to make a decent display was unfounded - we had enough to fill the pens Stonham had supplied and there was a constant stream of interested public milling through. The sun shone (though it was bitterly cold most of the day) and the 4 youngsters who took part in the Young Handlers Workshop really enjoyed their day. We did a variety of activities - tuition, games, mock show etc - with one group led by Tim Lugsden and myself. At the end of the afternoon we held a mini "show" where once again Tim was the judge - all 4 children were awarded Well Done rosettes. The 4 youngsters were Hamish Beaton, Andrew Hutley, Millie & Poppy Allen.

A good day was had by all!!

Spring Fling - April 2009

2009-05-11T09:28:00.003+01:00

The Group, led by Gail Sprake and Dameon Layt, put on an excellent display at the Spring Fling held on the Royal Norfolk Showground. A day of farming and the countryside aimed at 4 to 14 year olds, the event was a complete sell-out once again with about 4,600 people having a fun-filled day and also tucking into a hog roast. It is amazing how many children don't know where milk comes from, that potatoes grow underground or that sheep feel soft and woolly! Further information on this event for next year can be found on the Royal Norfolk Show website at www.royalnorfolkshow.co.uk

Annual Dinner - October 2008

2008-10-14T15:49:00.011+01:00

A table of happy diners

Richard shows us the usual altitude at which he flew.

58 members, friends and guests met at Brome Grange Hotel for an enjoyable evening. Richard Storer gave us a fascinating account of his career in the RAF which included him being the first Commanding Officer of the Red Arrows. On his retirement he moved to Baylham House and started a Rare Breeds Farm, later deciding to open to the public. (It is now one of the most successful tourist attractions in Suffolk - my words!) John Carrick gave an amusing vote of thanks.

We also celebrated the 80th Birthday of Sid Gardner, a foundation member of the Support Group, long-standing committee member, organizer of the 'Rare Sheep Show', and Treasurer for 10 years.

We welcomed our guests. Michael Pollitt of the EDP, Clarke Willis CE of Anglia Farmers and his wife Karen, Mary Wright, Livestock Officer at the Royal Norfolk Show and her family and of course Dick and Anne Storer.

Young Handlers

2008-09-05T15:29:00.003+01:00

RBST East Anglia Support Group
Young Handlers’ Championships

Throughout 2008, results from 8 East Anglian shows were collated: Hadleigh, South Suffolk, Suffolk, Royal Norfolk, East of England, Wayland, Tendring and Aylsham.
For each youngster the best 4 results were added up to make a total for the season. Presentations were made following the Young Handlers’ classes at the Aylsham Show. The points were allocated as follows: 4 points for 1st place, 3 points for 2nd, 2 points for 3rd place and 1 point for all other placings.
The results are as follows:

Junior Young Handler (under 7 years)
Champion: Catherine Steel (10 points)
Reserve Champion: Poppy Allen (9 points)

Intermediate Young Handler (8 – 12 years)
Champion: Andrew Hutley (16 points)
Reserve Champion: John Hunt (11 points)

Senior Young Handler (over 13 years)
Champion: Harry Middleditch (11 points)
Reserve Champion: Alice Partridge (10 points)

All Champions and Reserve Champions attending the Aylsham Show were presented with a rosette, and the Champions received a trophy. Those youngsters not present on the day will have their awards posted to them shortly. Special mention should be made of Andrew Hutley who gained full marks throughout the season, winning the individual Young Handlers’ classes at Hadleigh, Royal Norfolk, Tendring and the Wayland Show.

Many of the youngsters taking part throughout the show season were recipients of the Young Handlers’ Bursary awards from the East Anglia Support Group, and many of them attended the first Young Handlers’ Workshop organised by the Support Group in April 2008 at Stonham.
It is hoped to hold another workshop for Young Handlers in 2009.

The East Anglian Young Handlers’ Championship, organised by the RBST East Anglia Support Group, has been very well received. The youngsters (and some parents!) have taken the competition seriously and have approached the Championship with the right spirit. These are the exhibitors of the future and it has been heart-warming for all involved to watch these youngsters grow in confidence and learn from the help and tuition they received at the workshop in the Spring.

Gail Sprake
East Anglia Support Group Committee Member

June Newsletter

2008-06-09T18:51:00.003+01:00

Suzannah (my daughter, and Secretary of the East Anglia Support Group) and I have spent all afternoon writing and re-writing the latest newsletter. We always find we need to ring various people to find out dates or arrangements, and they are never at home! We should start the telephoning long before we start on the newsletter - but that is not how things work. My 'other half' has kindly agreed to print and post this edition from his firm - Purdys Solicitors in Reepham - because as we are sending out a survey, plus a stamped addressed envelope, it is a more complicated publication than usual.

Easton College Open Day

2008-06-02T06:46:00.004+01:00

We had a stand at the Open Day - part of the national Open Farms scheme. Alongside us we had six Norfolk Horn shearling ewes in a pen. They are the start of a pedigree flock bought for the College with funds we raised last year at our Dinner and Auction of Promises. They have been given under the Agistment Scheme run by the RBST which means that the equivalent of the original purchase will always belong to the Trust, but in the meantime the College can breed and sell as normal. David Howlett, the sheep tutor, hopes to use the flock to teach genetics, and the different aspects of keeping a pedigree flock as opposed to a commercial flock. A ram will be purchased later to complete the starter flock.

The Suffolk Show May 28th & 29th

2008-05-30T14:38:00.008+01:00

Our Rare Breeds stand at the Suffolk Show looked very good and it won 4th prize in the tradestand competition out of 750 entries. Well done to Roger, Shirley and the family who worked so hard. There were Hebridean, Norfolk Horn and black Wensleydale sheep, Large Black piglets, a Belted Galloway cow, and a White Park cow with her calf.The stormy weather didn't help at all, with the whole stand nearly disappearing during Tuesday night!

Rare Breeds site now nearly finished.

2008-05-19T20:44:00.001+01:00

I am gradually getting the hang of that very sophisticated piece of software 'Dreamweaver'. As the Rare Breeds Survival Trust only lets its Support Groups use templates based on the main site (http://www.rbst.org.uk/) our Support Group website has to be made in a certain way. I thought I nearly had it cracked until my daughter looked at it for me and found (amongst other things) that under 'links' 3 websites opened as one. I have fixed it, so hope the gremlins don't strike again.

Rare Breeds in East Anglia

2008-05-12T17:57:00.001+01:00

At last our website is just about finished! This blog is to keep interested parties up to date with what is going on, and hopefully there will be contributions from others too!

Perhaps I should give some background on who we are and what we do. The Rare Breeds Survival Trust was formed in 1973 by some concerned farmers who felt that so many ancient British breeds of farm livestock had been lost forever and something should be done to ensure no more breeds became extinct. One of the last to go was the Lincolnshire Curly Coat pig (see above). Very near to extinction was the Norfolk Horn sheep, and it was probably this breed more than any that led to the formation of the Trust. Since then no more breeds have been lost and the work of the Trust has become increasingly important. To take some words from the Trust's own website:

The RBST is the leading conservation charity working to restore Britain’s native livestock breeds to their rightful place in our countryside. Our work is funded entirely by membership subscriptions, donations and legacies.
Our purpose is to secure the continued existence and viability of the United Kingdom’s native farm animal genetic resources (FAnGR).
We gather and interpret information to produce population statistics for all our endangered breeds.
We collaborate with research organisations to identify breed characteristics.
We advise, support and work with breed societies to ensure that important bloodlines and essential genetics are identified and diversity maintained.
We promote the value of native breeds to the public and represent their interests to government.

There is a network of Support Groups throughout the country where volunteers man show stands, and give help and advice to people wanting to start up with some animals of their own. Not all our members have livestock but all have an interest in the work of the RBST. We do have a bit of socializing too, but we are very widespread and it is impossible to get everyone together! Our Support Group was founded in 1985 and covered all of Norfolk and Suffolk. The Essex Group was unable to carry on some years ago and we now welcome anyone from Essex who would like to join us.

It costs the grand sum of £10 per year to join us and receive our quarterly newsletters. We love to meet new people at shows and you will find all the events we attend listed on the website. If you would like to help - great! But maybe we can help you - are you thinking of keeping a few chickens or a small flock of sheep to keep that paddock down?