Page 9 - Beltex Year Book 2024

www.beltex.co.uk 7
OBITUARIES
One of the breed’s longest supporters, Robert ‘Robin’ Slade,
sadly passed away in early 2024.
Renowned for breeding and showing commercial fat lambs to
a top level where he won trophies the length and breadth of the
country, Robin’s passion for farming and the natural world was
evident from a young age growing up in Exmoor.
In his younger days he enjoyed racing motocross bikes and had
a keen interest in bird watching which spanned a lifetime
recording in his bird diary. After studying agriculture at college,
Robin went on to farm in his own right first securing a tenancy
and then buying Weekfield Farm, Exton, where he married
Christine and raised their three children – Katy, Lucy and Mark.
Running a busy shearing and silage contract business alongside
the farm, it was under the Weekfield prefix that Robin ran
around 400 ewes of continental breeding, with Beltex featuring
prominently. He would sell some 70 to 80 rams from home and
prime lambs across the country at live markets.
Robin loved showing and excelled in the winter fair fatstock
competitions in both the live and dead classes. In December
2013 he did the rare triple at Smithfield Show, taking Champion
and Reserve carcases and also Champion live pair of lambs
which went on to sell for a Smithfield record of £5100 each –
undoubtably one of his favourite achievements.
He also secured the Overall Championship at the Welsh Winter
Fair several times and most recently in 2016 when he was also
Reserve at the Borderway AgriExpo.
Later in life Robin made Herefordshire his home but continued
to breed and show, and was very proud to shear his own sheep
at 80 years old.
Robin had a wealth of knowledge and was a big believer in
passing his knowledge on to keen you farmers, having helped
and steered many in the right direction throughout his life. One
of his best sayings was ‘you’re never too old to learn’, and he
even joked that he was still learning later in life.
OBITUARY – ROBIN SLADE