It is with great sadness to report that Mr Jonathan Jackson, LADS Committee member and Chairman for 2024/2025 sadly passed away on Friday 20th September.
Mr Jackson’s funeral will be held on Wednesday 9th October 2024, at Charnock Richard Crematorium, Preston Road, Charnock Richard, Chorley, PR7 5JP at 2:30pm.
We offer our sincere thoughts and condolences to Jonathan’s family during this difficult time.
https://jonathanjackson.muchloved.com
Author: LADS Hon Secretary
The first meeting of the season will be held on Wednesday 2nd October 2024 at Briars Hall Hotel, Lathom, L40 5TH at 7pm for a prompt 7.30pm start.
The speaker is Karen Ennis, Open Water Swimmer and Charity Fundraiser.
To aid recovery following a personal loss, Karen began her swimming journey in 2016 with a one mile swim in Windermere. Since then she has completed many more swimming challenges to raise money and awareness for Alder Hey Children’s Hospital.
Karen’s goal is to become the first British woman to swim the Oceans Seven, whilst raising £100,000 for Alder Hey Children’s Hospital.
If you are bringing a guest, please remind them of the appropriate attire, that being jackets, shirt and tie.
Please be reminded that SUBS for the new season are now due. Prompt payment would be greatly appreciated. Details for making payment can be found on this months members circular.
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Scotland Trip Summary
In July, a small group of LADS memebers and guests embarked on a three day trip up to Scotland, where on the first day they visited James Jones & Sons, Lockerbie, the UK’s largest timber processing company and Blackford Farms, a 20,000 acre estate in Perthshire.
The second day, a trip to Peter Marshall & Co, a 4th Generation family business growing a variety of soft fruits alongside arable crops, followed by a trip to Persie distillery, a hand crafting small batch distillery.
The final day before heading home saw a trip to New Lanark, a former 18th Century cotton spinning village, one of Scotland’s 6 UNESCO world heritage sites of “Outstanding universal value”
All who attended thoroughly enjoyed the trip, which was accompanied by good weather.
A big thankyou to Richard Corlett for the time and effort invested in organising the trip, and making sure everything ran smoothly.
A few photos from the trip can be found below.
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Mr T A Critchley
It is with great sadness to report the death of Mr T A Critchley, LADS Honorary Member and son of LADS founding member, Mr T L Critchley.
Tom’s funeral will be held on Monday 15th July 2024 at Bickerstaffe Church, L39 0EB at 1:30pm.
We offer our thoughts and condolences to Tom’s family during this difficult time.
A trip has been organised to Scotland on the 4th to the 6th of July 2024.
The Itinerary for which can be found below.
If you would like to attend the trip, please register your attendance with the Hon Secretary by latest of Friday 14th June 2024 by 1pm.
If you are interested in attending, please do so
– Via email secretary@l-a-d-s.co.uk
– Via phone 07749 492915 to Mr Alex Pope (Hon Secretary) – call, text or WhatsApp.
Itinerary – LADS Scotland trip – July 2024
Thursday 4th July
07:30: Depart Lathom
10.00: James Jones and Sons Ltd, Lockerbie.
James Jones & Sons Ltd is a 5th generation family business and one of
the UK’s largest and most progressive timber processing companies with
core activities in timber harvesting, saw-milling, pallets & packaging, and
distribution. They operate from 25 sites across the UK, 11 Australian and
2 New Zealand sites and employ over 2,100 people. They operate seven
sawmills throughout Scotland and the north east of England: an
engineered wood manufacturing plant in the north of Scotland and pallet
and packaging operations at 14 sites across the UK. Producing high
quality, British grown timber for the UK construction, landscaping, and
agricultural sectors; market-leading JJI-Joists for the housebuilding and
construction markets and pallets and packaging for blue chip domestic
and exporting businesses.
12.15: Cairn Lodge Services
These services are part of The Westmorland Family, along with Tebay
and Gloucs. services owned by the Dunning Family.
Buy a drink, sandwich and some snacks to eat on route to Blackford
Farms, Dunblane.
14.15: Blackford Farms
Blackford farms are situated in the majestic heart of the Perthshire countryside, central Scotland.
The estate spreads over 20,000 acres of rich fertile land on which the
cattle are bred. Crops grown are wheat, barley and oats on the estate.
Blackford farms is the home of Highland Wagyu which encompasses a
total farming operation from the breeding and rearing of pedigree
Aberdeen Angus, Beef Shorthorn, Highland Cattle, Dexters and 100%
Full-blood Wagyu cattle.
Run now by the 4th and 5th generations of the family, William and Karen
McLaren along with their daughter Seonaid, they will be celebrating this
year their Centenary of breeding Pedigree Angus cattle. William’s father
was a pioneer to keep the Angus breed going during its period of
decline. They were the number one show herd in the UK during 1980-
2010.
They are no longer showing and concentrating on a more functional type
of Angus using semen imported from Canada, America and Australia.
Also part owners in an Angus herd in Austria. The home farm,
Netherton, is 300 acres and carries the herd of Angus cattle. The
adjoining land farmed of which 5,000 acres is organic, is owned by
Highland Spring Water.
17.30 -1800: Red House Hotel, Coupar Angus
Our base for the next two nights. Dinners, bed and breakfasts provided.
Friday 5th July
08:30: Depart Hotel.
09:00 Peter Marshall and Co.
A fourth-generation family farming business, based in Alyth Perthshire.
The farm is run by Rowan, Jennifer, Pete and Meg Marshall alongside
an amazing team. The farm spreads over 1300 acres and is based in the
beautiful Perthshire countryside. They grow Strawberries, Raspberries,
Blueberries, Cherries, Blackcurrants, Redcurrants. Aside from growing
fresh fruit, they also grow Potatoes, Wheat, Oats, Oil Seed Rape and
Malting Barley.
They also have a small farm shop nearby where we can purchase their
freshly made ice creams.
12.30: Lunch at The Bridge of Cally Hotel
Purchase a sandwich or something more substantial for lunch
14.00: Persie Distillery
A 5-minute drive from our lunch venue is the Distillery. Award-winning
spirits are hand-crafted in small batches on the site of the former Persie
Hotel at the foot of Glenshee in Highland Perthshire.
We will be taken behind the scenes on a guided tour, to see where
everything happens on site, from recipe development to distilling and
bottling.
16.00:
We will find something to do before returning to the hotel for dinner, if we
haven`t sampled too much gin !!
Saturday 6th July
09.00: Depart the hotel.
11.00: New Lanark, South Lanarkshire.
New Lanark is a former 18th century cotton spinning mill village located
on the banks of the Falls of Clyde. It is recognised as one of Scotland’s 6
UNESCO World Heritage Sites of ‘outstanding universal value’.
A guided tour around this working cotton mill is included. After the tour
we have lunch in the café.
14.00 or thereabouts
Set off south and an opportunity to call in at the Lockerbie Air Disaster Memorial and Garden of Remembrance, in memory to the 270 lives lost as a result of the bombing of PanAm flight 103 on December 21st 1988.
17.30: Arrive Lathom
Prices based on minimum 20 people on the trip
Sharing a twin room £390
Single room £450
The coach is a Holmeswood Executive 49 seater
with a toilet
No lunches included in the price
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Andrew Blenkiron & AGM
The final meeting for the season and 95th Annual General Meeting of the Society will be held on Wednesday 3rd April 2024 at Briars Hall Hotel, Lathom, L40 5TH at 7pm for a prompt 7.30pm start.
We will be joined by speaker Andrew Blenkiron, Manager of the 10,500 acre Euston Estate in Suffolk.
https://www.eustonhall.co.uk/euston-farms
Members are asked to book in using either of the following 2 methods by no later than Monday 1st April 2024 by 1pm. Bookings made after this time will not be accepted.
– Via email bookings@l-a-d-s.co.uk
– Via phone 07768 616267 to Mr Peter Wilkinson (Committee member) – Call, Text or WhatsApp
If there are any matters that you would like to be addressed at the AGM, please forward these to the Hon Secretary via email: secretary@l-a-d-s.co.uk prior to the meeting.
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Paul Reeves
The next meeting will be held on Wednesday 6th March 2024 at Briars Hall Hotel, Lathom, L40 5TH at 7pm for a prompt 7.30pm start.
This month’s speaker is Paul Reeves of Malpas Tractors, who many of you may know. Farmers, Machinery dealers and mechanics, supplying farms across the North West over several sites.
https://www.malpastractors.co.uk
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Dave Sullivan
The next meeting will be held on Wednesday 7th February 2024 at Briars Hall Hotel, Lathom, L40 5TH at 7pm for a prompt 7.30pm start.
The speaker is Dave Sullivan, North West area manager for Yara Fertiliser UK. A leading crop nutrition provider, specialising in nitrogen fertilisers, both solid and liquid and foliar nutrition products.
https://www.yara.co.uk
The next meeting will be held on Wednesday 10th January 2024 at Briars Hall Hotel, Lathom, L40 5TH at 7pm for a prompt 7.30pm start.
The speaker is Matt Tickle, Operations Director at Dugdale Nutrition, A family owned business who have delivered innovation in the ruminant sector for over 170 years, producing in excess of 250,000 tonnes of feed per year.
https://www.dugdalenutrition.com
If you are bringing a guest, please remind them of the appropriate attire, that being jackets, shirt and tie.
The next meeting will be held on Wednesday 6th December 2023 at Briars Hall Hotel, Lathom, L40 5TH at 7pm for a prompt 7.30pm start.
The speaker is Brian Richardson, UK Head of Agriculture at Virgin Money. Previously of Yorkshire Bank. Brian will be giving us an insight into his career and on the current climate from a banking perspective.
https://uk.virginmoney.com/business/agriculture
If you are bringing a guest, please remind them of the appropriate attire, that being jackets, shirt and tie.