Press release: An Argyll village is preparing to celebrate the contribution of its woolliest residents – with an event that’s all about sheep.

Dalmally Sheep Festival, from noon next Saturday October 15, coincides with the annual blackface ram auction, or ‘tup sale’ at Dalmally Mart, and will include activities for families, and local arts and crafts.

The highlight will be the Wool Sack Race, a test of strength and speed in which teams of four competitors carry a large, full wool sack across the village shinty field competing for glory, and a refreshing prize sponsored by award-winning local craft brewer Fyne Ales.

Sheep farming remains central to Dalmally’s landscape and culture, with the Autumn tup sale a key event in the Scottish farming calendar. The auction brings the best of the blackface breed, as well as hundreds of visitors, to the little village every year.

The festival has been set up to welcome these visitors and mark the occasion of the sale, raising funds for community groups and charities, including the local primary school and playgroup, who are hosting a cafe, children’s craft stall and sheep-themed games.

Wool is set to be a big feature of the day, with spinning demonstrations, an earth loom, and plenty of hands-on woolly experiences. The sheep theme will be explored further at the baking stall, which is appealing for donations, and offering a prize (sponsored by Cruachan: The Hollow Mountain Visitor Centre) for the best sheepish creation.

Anyone interested in having a stall or entering a team, or who would like to know more about the event, should go to www.facebook.com/dalmallysheepfestival, or contact co-ordinator Louisa MacDougall on 01838 200724.

• Dalmally Sheep Festival, the shinty field, Dalmally, from midday on Saturday, October 15,

• Contact louisa.mclennan@talk21.com 01838 200724 facebook.com/dalmallysheepfestival