Scottish Alpaca Championship to take place in Lanark

The 2nd Scottish Alpaca Championship, organised by the Scottish Alpaca Group, will be held on Saturday 15th April at Lanark Aucion Mart.

The event will see a record entry of 140 alpacas being shown and competing to be judged as the best in each colour group, then best in show.

The Scottish Alpaca Group is a regional group of the British Alpaca Society (BAS), which is the breed society at National level.

The show is judged by a BAS certified judge - this year it is Mr Rob Bettinson from Rugby.

Last years show was a great success, and attracted a substantial number of public spectators.

We hope that this year will be equally popular, and we have included a range of stalls exhibiting and selling alpaca products. There will also be demonstrations fo fibre craft and spinning.

Entry to the event is free, but donations for programmes will be used to support Marie Curie Cancer Care - who will also be there on the day with products and baking for sale.

A highlight of the day will be the Junior Handler Competition, when a competitive group of youngsters will show off their handling skills and knowledge of alpacas and their care.

Alpacas are members of the camel family, and originate in South America.

They were first introduced to the UK about 35 years ago, and the national herd has now grown to about 40000 alpacas.

In Scotland the number is smaller - in the order of 700

Alpacas are kept primarily for their fleece, which is a luxury fibre with amazingly grood thermal quality and which is extremely comfortable to wear.

They are very versatile animals, which are becoming increasingly used as therapy animals. They are calm and calming, and this makes them ideal in this role. They are very good as educational aids, and are being used to assist children in various ways. They are very beneficial when working with children on the Autistic spectrum.

Additionally, they have a role in farming as flock guards. They protect their own young agains predator attack, but are also just as protective when associated with lambs or poultry