AN Auction Mart saw a great turnout for its annual Christmas prize show and sale.

Farmers and butchers from across Cumbria congregated to admire both prime and dairy cattle as well as prime lambs and ewes. A record-breaking sale was the highlight of the day as a local heifer fetched a staggering price.

The Ulverston institution was presided over as usual by friendly auctioneer Ross Watson, who was delighted with the excellent show of prime beef that was put forward for the Christmas show.

Fellow auctioneer D'reen Fell said: "It was a brilliant day. The big show of cattle was just like it used to be and I would like to thank all our vendors and buyers for their support."

Bootle's Paul Bradley won the prize for overall champion in the prime beef show and his Limousin heifer went on to receive the top price 440ppkg purchased by S Mason Butchers. Auctioneer Ross Watson said: "That price has broken the record for anything we have every sold. We've never seen anything like it.

"As part of the South Cumbrian farming community we wouldn't be able to keep going without these Christmas sales.

"It's the support from local butchers like S Masons and N&S Rhodes in Barrow that really help the beef trade in this area. It's just fantastic to see local butchers buying local cattle straight from the farmers."

There was another victory for Bootle when family farmers Jim and Anne Woodend from Hyton Farm, who attended the sale with their daughter, took home the prize for reserve champion with their bull and consequently went on to sell the animal for 380ppkg to Mason's butchers.

Mr Woodend also entered a heifer which he said "a better behind than Carol Vorderman", who has just done a stint in the jungle on I'm A Celebrity and has previously won 'Rear of the Year'.

The judge for the prime cattle classes was Danny Woods from Preston where he runs a family farm shop. He judged the cattle by the rule of which ones he would be most likely to buy for meat himself.

The show of dairy cattle was also very pleasing with 17 coming forward to be judged, although there were fewer Christmas lambs than usual.

The prime Christmas lamb sale will now go ahead on Tuesday.