Hardenclough Farm

James Metcalfe, is the third generation of the family to farm the tenanted 350 acre hill farm, Hardenclough Farm, in the Peak District in Derbyshire.

Hardenclough is a challenging farm due to all being north facing and running low quality pasture. Stocking by previous generations has been a stratified system of Swaledale ewes crossed with Blue Faced Leicesters and North of England Mules crossed with Suffolks and Texels.

Under the current management, the sheep flock is based around 500 North Country Cheviots bred both pure and crossed with Traditional BFL rams and a small herd of pedigree Luing cattle.

Small flocks of both Herdwick and Badgerface Welsh Mountains are also kept on the farm.

James is no stranger to judging, and will be a familiar face to many attendees in 2025. He is returning to America again and will be using his broad knowledge of British sheep to extend to other breeds in the show this year, and is excited about his upcoming roles of judge, speaker, and shearing demonstrator at the 2025 NAHSS.

GANOL Flock, Sennybridge, Rhondda Cynon Taff, United Kingdom

Mr. Steven Forsyth runs the GANOL flock of Black Welsh Mountain sheep in the heart of the Brecon Beacons National Park in South Wales. He has kept the BWM’S for 30 years. In 2024 he won the National Flock Competition in the UK, which was open to all of its members. Steven has judged all three of the Royal shows with the BWMs in consecutive years: the Royal Welsh Show, the Royal Three Counties Show, and the Royal Bath and West Show. He has also judged numerous shows in Wales and England, as well as at the breed society show and sales in the UK. He has also sold his BWMs all over the UK and once held the breeds highest priced male .

While at the NAHSS, he will be giving a presentation on the status of the sheep industry in the UK, and especially concerning the Black Welsh Mountain breed.

Another breed Mr. Forsyth has kept for his family, namely his daughter, is the Shetland sheep breed. His daughter has used Shetlands in many art projects in university.

In Wales, Steven does quite a bit of rural craft work during winter time, mainly the ancient craft of Hedge Laying, which he does across South Wales and into the border counties of England as well. In 1994, Steven and his friend attempted the World Hedge Laying Record, which they beat and is still standing after 30 years in the Guinness Book of Records today.

Steven has also diversified in to pumpkin and tulip patches, which are open to the public.

“I am very honoured to have been asked to judge the Black Welsh Mountains and Shetlands at this years show, and look forward to meeting the exhibitors and their sheep.”

Bentley Fields

The Spencer family has been farming at Bentley Fields since 1880.

The farm, 250 acres, is in the middle of Derbyshire, just south of the southern tip of the Pennine Chain, hills which run to the north of the country.

He and his wife took over in 1983. 

At the age of four, Rich was bottle feeding lambs; at ten, due to his father's ill health, he lambed 100 ewes during the Easter school holidays.

Following country, and then grammar school, he then went on to the University of Reading where he studied Agriculture.

Married at 22 , and due to a very tolerant partner in life, Rosemary, Rich is still happily married. His hobbies include, but are not limited to: reading , rock ‘n roll, tropical fish, rugby , amateur dramatics, and gardening.

Mr. Spencer is an active member of the National Farmer's Union and Regional Chairman for British Wool.

He and Rosemary have two children, Simon, who lives next door with his wife, Alison, and sons Oliver and Ed, and Katrina who resides in New Zealand with her partner Andrew and son, William. Simon is a group secretary in the National Farmer’s Union, and helps run the farm as, and when, time permits, as do his two lads, particularly Oliver, who has his own flock at the age of 15.

The farm was mixed, containing a dairy herd of Holsteins, plus sheep, until he and Rosemary sold the herd in 2009 due to Rich’s health issues. Since then they have concentrated solely on sheep. In the 1980s, they had opened the farm up to the public, which they continued to do until 2000. As a consequence, they had a veritable “Noah's Ark” of livestock, which included a large variety of rare breeds of sheep.

“All of this was very interesting until it came to breeding time! Fifteen different groups of sheep breeding pure? A nightmare. At the time, we had the country’s largest flock of Shropshires. 

Now? Easy life! A commercial flock based, rightly or wrongly, on the Lleyn breed, and crossing with Bleu de Maine for females, and then Meatlinc and Charolais as terminal sires.

We have retained a small flock of Shropshires as well, and are hoping to pass the farm on to the next generation. Quite a challenge under the present government!”

With his extensive knowledge concerning so many breeds of sheep and lifelong shepherding experience, we cannot wait to welcome Mr. Richard Spencer to the NAHSS to judge.

Attonburn Farm 1983-2017

Cheviot Hills, Scotland

At the age of 72 years old, and married to Mary for 41 years, Charles Symons is still making his mark on the farming world.

Coming from a non-farming family, he fortunately went to a school that had agriculture on its curriculum, which stirred his interest in farming. Charles then went on to agricultural college and then took up a job as a hired shepherd.

In 1983, Charles started farming in his own right in partnership with Mary.

The couple moved to Attonburn Farm, where his interest in showing sheep started largely due to an employed shepherd at the time being extremely keen to show the sheep.

Showing was a success, and not only brought Charles great pleasure, but also undoubtedly helped with sales.

They went on to win many championships including 11 at The Royal Highland Show, 3 of which were won by Attonburn Highland Queen. Twice she went on to win the Interbreed Championship, the first sheep of any breed to do this.

In 2010, they sold the then breed record priced ram, Attonburn Grand Slam, for £12,000, who then went on to breed very successfully in the Hethpool flock.

They also owned a herd of pedigree Luing cattle and, in 2005, sold the then breed record price bull for 10,000gns.

In 2010, Charles was asked to be the Fieldsman for The Luing Cattle Society, which was a perfect fit for him as he approached retirement. The job takes him traveling about the UK approximately 100 days per year, where he inspects animals pre-sale.

In 2015, Charles and Mary sold their herd of cows, and the sheep followed in 2017 when they relinquished the tenancy of Attonburn and went into semi retirement.

The couple then bought a smallholding with 20 acres of land where Charles trains collie dogs.

Between the dogs, three children, five grandchildren, and a 3.5 acre garden (Mary’s great passion)-which is managed solely by them-Charles and Mary stay pretty busy.

Charles also operates a brokerage scheme were by he facilitate sales and purchases of animals on behalf of members.

He has held the post of Chairman of both The Luing Cattle Society and The Cheviot Sheep Society ,as well as spending a number of years as a council member.

“I have been lucky enough to judge sheep at both shows and sales all over the UK, and I am honored to have been asked to judge and present at the NAHSS. I look forward to it.”

Mr. Symons is bringing along with him his vast knowledge of both Scottish Blackface and North Country Cheviot sheep, as well as priceless farming experiences which he will share with all in September.