MEMORIES of a popular shepherd and expert sheep-shower will live on at Northumberland’s annual round of agricultural shows after his devoted family created a silver legacy to commemorate him.
Tom Mackay, 62, passed away unexpectedly at his Rede Valley home in Rochester in March, following many years of prolific trophy-winning in the sheep and terrier classes at the region’s countryside shows.
He was a well-known and much-liked character in the Northumberland agricultural community, and his grieving family decided to preserve his memory on the circuit of rural shows where he spent many of his happiest days.
A collection at Tom’s funeral raised around £1,500, half of which has been used to buy 11 silver trophies which will be awarded to sheep and terrier class winners at nine different shows where he used to compete.
The specially-engraved memorial trophies – nine cups, a tankard and a rose bowl – will be presented for the first time in the next few weeks and months at shows in Rochester, Bellingham, Whittingham, Harbottle, Wooler, Ingram, Powburn, Yetholm and Alwinton.
In the last year of his life alone, Tom won nine trophies at sheep shows, and his widow Pat and three sons, Andrew, Robert and Steven, decided they wanted to donate memorial trophies to as many shows as possible, to commemorate his life and contribution to Northumbrian agriculture.
Yesterday Robert’s wife Tanya, who farms with her husband at Linshiels in the Upper Coquet Valley near Harbottle, said the money raised at her father-in-law’s funeral had been split between 11 show trophies and the Church of England.
“The trophies have all been engraved and are ready to be handed over to the officials at the various shows where they will be awarded. They will go to winners of mainly sheep, but also terrier, classes because that was what Tom was best known for. They are going to the shows where he used to compete regularly.
“Tom always said he wanted to have a memorial cup in his name for Harbottle Show and we used to joke that he would have to be dead for that to happen. Now he has 11 separate trophies to commemorate him. It is going to be brilliant and we will all feel very proud when they are awarded for the first time this year. Everyone we spoke to about it thought it was a great idea.”
Born in Wooler, Tom spent his early years at Crookhouse Farm, where his father worked as a shepherd, before tending flocks at Hartburn, Alnham, Ewartly Shank and Flotterton. Hundreds of people attended his funeral in All Saints Church, Rothbury.
