Bereaved farmer, 77, to sell herd for charity

Emyr Wigley said the time was right to move on from the herd

A farmer who has raised more than £120,000 for charity by selling pedigree cows hopes to raise more through the sale of his remaining herd.

Emyr Wigley, 77, from Llansantffraid, put together the "Old Stackyard British Blues" after his wife died in 2015.

His sales have supported Ovarian Cancer Action and the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution in her memory.

But after being accidentally crushed by one in January, he decided it was time to say goodbye to his remaining cows.

Mr Wigley said he used to keep a small herd of the British Blue cattle before his wife Evie died from ovarian cancer at the age of 69.

Mr Wigley described his wife on his website as "a very special lady, kind, caring and multi-talented".

"After a lifetime of work the majority of her retirement years were stolen from her," he continued.

Evie Wigley died in 2015 after being diagnosed with ovarian cancer

He decided to build the herd up after her death with the sole aim of raising money to fight "this evil disease".

He said he had been preparing a bull for sale in Carlisle on 19 January when he was accidentally crushed, and while he is on the road to recovery, it persuaded him to move on.

After seven years of selling the animals, he said he had been planning to call it a day anyway but had decided to bring that moment forward.

The sale of the remaining cows takes place in Shrewsbury on Saturday and he had hopes of raising another £100,000.

"If we have a very good day, the charities will be smiling," he said.

Emyr Wigley put together a herd of British Blues, with the aim of raising money through their sales

His niece, Laura, who helped him with the herd said it was now very quiet on the farm and it would be "very sad" to see them go.

But Mr Wigley said he intends to continue fundraising, through after-dinner speaking and sales of his book, "The Journey - A Life In Farming".