Brecon man attempts to break sheep shearing record

On Friday 19 August Lloyd Rees from Brecon will attempt to break the British shearing record by shearing over 873 lambs in just nine hours to raise funds for Parkinson’s UK and the Wales Air Ambulance.

Lloyd, aged 28, has been shearing since a young age, having been brought up on a sheep and beef family farm in Llandefalle. Since then, he has entered many competitions, such as the Young Farmers’ Club county rally machine-shearing and hand-shearing competitions, and travelled to New Zealand to pursue his shearing career.

In 2019, Lloyd sheared 725 lambs as part of the four stand team that set the British record. He now wants to break the solo record that was set by Stuart Connor in 2021. The attempt will take place at Blaenbwch Farm in Builth Wells and members of the public are invited to go and support Lloyd. There will be a bar and music following the record attempt. 

Ten years ago, Lloyd’s nan, Eileen, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s. Parkinson’s is now the fastest growing neurological condition in the world. There are 145,000 people now living with Parkinson’s in the UK, including approximately 7,600 people in Wales.

Lloyd said: 

“I want to beat the British record and raise funds for two charities that are close to my heart, Parkinson’s UK and the Wales Air Ambulance.

“Parkinson’s changed Nan. She was always a very independent person, but when she received that diagnosis, she lost her confidence. She stopped driving, wouldn’t go anywhere, and became very self conscious.

“I want to raise funds and awareness for Parkinson’s UK to show that there is support if you, or someone you know, is living with Parkinson’s. And hopefully, it’ll let others continue with a level of independence that Nan lost.”

To support Lloyd’s sheep shearing record visit www.justgiving.com/lloyd-rees1 

To find out how to fundraise for Parkinson’s UK visit parkinsons.org.uk/fundraising