FAMILIES from across Cumbria have flocked to buy their Christmas bird.

The rough plucked and dressed poultry event returned to Harrison and Hetherington’s Borderway Mart in the Rosehill area of Carlisle yesterday (Wednesday).

Last year, one of the season's most traditional events was cancelled due to Covid-19.

This year saw 200 birds up for grabs by a scattering of ringside buyers, compared with two years ago when the same sale saw 450 birds go under the hammer.

Top price went to a 13kg oven-ready turkey from Messrs Hornsby of Rose Farm, Silloth, which sold for £110 in aid of Parkinson UK.

This was followed by a 12kg turkey in aid of the Alzheimer's Society selling for £105.

Small Turkeys sold to 5.9kg from Messrs Lamb How, Seascale, with geese fetching £65 for a 5.5kg bird from Messrs Kyle of Church View, Roweltown and another for the same price for a 4.7kg bird from Messrs Soulsby of Williamsgill.

Chickens were fetching £24 for a 5.5kg, £22 for a 9kg and £22 for a 8.5kg.

In 2019, Ian Jackson, 71, who helped to organise the event said the first festive poultry sale took place in 1992, and explained how it was a 'tradition', with people buying from the same producer each year, because they knew where the birds were coming from and were all fresh.