A KINGTON sheep shearing contest raised the bar by taking placed in a pub.

Contestants swapped the delights of the countryside for the more comfortable surroundings of the Oxford Arms in a contest organised by outgoing Kington YFC chairman James Lewis.

“I have seen sheep shearing contests take place inside in New Zealand and that is where I got the idea from,” said James, from Titley.

“The landlord was a bit dubious about the first one held last year but because that went OK he does not seem to mind.”

Sheep were carried in by junior YFC members and the shearing was judged by three judges holding up red or green cards to determine the quality of the shear.

There were four contests, with the open won by Steve Rowberry of Allensmore.

This year’s event raised £700 for the West Midlands Air Ambulance.