 An H&H Group Company |
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| Tom Story and John Helme with Scott Donaldson |
Two trainee auctioneers with Harrison & Hetherington have taken to the rostrum, reflecting the UKʼs leading livestock marketing companyʼs commitment to the future of the live auction ring.
Expanding the auctioneering team for the companyʼs seven centres across the north of England and south west Scotland are local farmersʼ sons John Helme and Tom Story.
John, aged 25, is a graduate in upland conservation and environmental management from the University of Central Lancashire, Newton Rigg.
At weekends he helps his mother Edith on the family farm, Ormathwaite Hall, Keswick, which is home to one of the longest-established flocks of Bluefaced Leicester sheep as well as a small flock of Mules, with excess grass let for summer grazing. John is a keen rugby player and a member of the Keswick club.
Tom, 20, is an HNC graduate in agriculture from Barony College, Dumfries. He also helps at his parentsʼ Jenny and Davidʼs upland farm Greenbank, Canonbie, in his spare time. The family runs a herd of continental cross suckler cows alongside Blackface sheep and Mules.
His eldest brother, Chris, is a journalist with Cumbrian Newspapers and elder brother Stuart works for a waste management company in Dumfries.
Both John and Tom have had long-standing ambitions to be auctioneers. After an intense period of introduction to the business, with the diverse range of livestock and other items sold by Harrison & Hetherington, they have already had the opportunity of taking to the rostrum at a variety of sales.
John now sells prime ewes at Borderwayʼs weekly Monday sale as well as assisting at Kirkby Stephen Mart while Tom auctions calves on a Wednesday in Carlisle and assists at Lockerbie Mart.
Sales director, Scott Donaldson, who oversees the auctioneering and fieldstaff team for the company, said: “H&H has a reputation over many years of ʻgrowing their ownʼ and producing some of the leading auctioneers in the industry.
“We have a good team with a mix of experience and youthful enthusiasm which provides us with the opportunity to allow auctioneers to specialise in specific areas. Both Tom and John have worked hard since joining the company and it is pleasing that we can now start them on the road of auctioneering.”
As well as working closely with the team at Harrison & Hetherington, the intention is that Tom and John will also undertake LAA/IAAS (Livestock Auctioneers Association/Institute of Auctioneers and Appraisers Scotland) auctioneering course.
David Thomlinson, who has over 40 yearsʼ experience of auctioneering, is also closely involved in the two newcomersʼ development, as well as continuing to support the other auctioneers in their development.
“Its very satisfying to find good young people with the determination and work ethic that these two young men have. We had a large number of applicants for the jobs and Tom and John excelled - I am pleased they have lived up to the potential we saw,” he said.
“H&H is the leading livestock auctioneer in the country and while bricks and mortar are important, itʼs the people who make the difference. We have an incredibly good team here of staff in all departments and its pleasing that we can keep adding to the team by investing in our people.”