Farmer breaks records by shearing 902 sheep in nine hours

A Brecon-based farmer has set a new British record after shearing 902 sheep in nine hours.

Lloyd Rees, 28, began the challenge at 5am on Friday 19 August, shearing around 100 sheep an hour. The previous record of 881, was only reached last week after the 2021 record of 872 was beat.

Lloyd comes from a family of sheep shearers with his grandad being a sheep-shearing instructor. He first started to get into it when he was around 15.

He says he's tried to practice everyday in the run-up to the event to give him the best chances of beating the record.

The huge effort at the Blaenbwch Farm in Powys has already raised over £5,000 for Welsh charities which Lloyd says he's delighted with.

“Thank you to every single person who has donated and for taking their time to write a good luck message.

"The money raised from the event will go to our two chosen charities, Parkinson’s UK Cymru and The Welsh Air Ambulance Service.

“I also want to thank my sponsors. Without you, days like these just don’t happen. The costs incurred running and organising records are quite large and wouldn’t get off the ground otherwise.

Martin Booth from Lister, the company which provided the shearing equipment, has said: “these tallies ensure that Lloyd has left his mark on the industry.

"Not only this, but his incredible attitude has also inspired a future generation to pick up shears and give it a go."