Herefordshire farmers raise thousands in charity shearing

James Lewis and Matt Rowlands took on the gruelling, but rewarding task of shearing sheep for 24 hours, shearing over 3000 between them.

The pair completed the challenge side by side, doing two two-hour runs at a time, over 32 hours.

 The event, held in Much Marcle between August 25 and August 26, raised over £20,000, but that's not all, as the donations keep coming in.

The pair raised tens of thousands for St Michael’s Hospice and We Are Farming Minds, even creating their own merchandise in the form of hoodies for the event to raise extra funds for the important local charities.

Mr Lewis said he would participate in another event, possibly on a larger scale. (Image: Sarah Evans) Mr Lewis said he was inspired to raise money for the local hospice after his grandma sadly passed away from cancer, and felt it would be the perfect tribute to her, and the incredible hospice staff who supported the family throughout.

With this determination, and having seen friends take on a similar task before, he was inspired to take on the fierce challenge and set to work on preparing for the event.

It wasn’t an easy run for the pair in the lead-up, with 11 months of training required before the big day. The pair banned themselves from alcohol, sugar, and caffeine for 10 months, to reach peak physical fitness for the event.

Mr Lewis said that he was “quite determined” so was never going to give up easily, despite the tiredness that started to take hold throughout the night, after having worked his way through a considerable number of sheep.

“One-day shearing is the equivalent of doing a marathon," he said when describing the physical strength that is needed to complete a challenge of this size.

He added that “tiredness was the hardest bit” of getting through the event,  and was left unable to eat as he couldn’t stomach it after hours of gruelling hard work.

The pair worked through 3000 sheep between them. (Image: Sarah Evans) Surprisingly, it sounds like this event isn’t the end of Mr Lewis’s shearing days. When asked if he would repeat the occasion, but perhaps on a smaller, more manageable scale, he said if anything, he’d look at upsizing the number of sheep sheared.

He added that the support the pair have received has been “phenomenal” and “incredible throughout”. The duo were joined by a barrage of supporters and inquisitive viewers on the day, in awe of the impressive challenge.

Mr Lewis added that his partner, Sarah “has been fantastic”, despite barely seeing him for “the best part of 12 months” between his regular 5 am trips to the gym and rushing off to work.

The pair had an army of supporters on the day. (Image: Sarah Evans)

It seems along with the ambitious plans to possibly hold an event on a larger scale in the future, James won’t get a break from the shearing world just yet, as he is involved with organising similar events across the country.

Mr Lewis added that they are yet to discover the total amount raised, with two JustGiving pages still in action, it’s likely to be a hefty amount.

St Michael’s Hospice, Mr Lewis’s chosen charity, will be presented with a cheque once the total has been calculated from the pair’s merchandise.

Half of the raised money will also be going to We Are Farming Minds, which helps to raise mental health awareness in the rural communities of Herefordshire and support the wellbeing of farmers. 

The charity was founded by Sam and Emily Stables and aims to reach out to the farming community to break down stigma, open up support and say to every farmer "You are not alone".

The charity provides 24-hour support for those in need, and offers funding for professional counselling if required, mental health training to individuals and professionals in the farming community.