A pair of lambs sold at Kirkby Stephen mart yesterday raised £1,500 for Glasgow Hospital for Sick Children and Bridekirk Dovenby School, thanks to the generosity of a Cumbrian farming family.
The Skeltons, of Low House, Bullgill, near Maryport, sold the two Texel lambs as a way of thanking the hospital and school for the support they had given a young member of the family, nine-year-old Thomas.
The son of Anthony and Emma Skelton, Thomas has a range of issues which require him to make frequent visits to hospital in Glasgow for operations and other treatment, while his local school has gone out of its way to meet his needs and make him welcome.
The family decided on the spur of the moment to sell the lambs to raise money for these two worthy causes and, after frenzied bidding, the hammer came down at £350 per head, which was matched by Messrs Skelton, with a further £100 coming from mart firm Harrison and Hetherington.
The buyers were J Blenkhorn, for Yorkshire Halal, and Phil Burton, for West Scottish Lamb, Carlisle.
Anthony said: “The hospital has looked after Thomas really well and been magnificent, and the school has been great – they even built a little classroom for Thomas.
“The buyers at Kirkby Stephen were really great on Tuesday.”
