Ken Hedley started work at Plenderleith at the age of 15 in 1962, working alongside his father. This was the start of the change from cheviots to blackies. Ken celebrated 50 years working with the Bell family in 2012 and retired in 2015.

Ken was awarded an MBE in 1999 for services to blackface sheep farming.

The start of the successful breeding programme at Plenderleith was buying tups from Hopes, Penchrise and Troloss.

The real ground breaker for the flock was the purchase of Wheatshaw Davyie in 1974 for £800. Ken bought him having been left orders by Robin who couldn’t attend the sale.

In 1976 nearly half of the shearlings at Plenderleith were off of Davyie. In this year Connachan paid £3200 for a lamb sired by Davyie who went on to father Dangermouse who in turn fathered the infamous Highland King.

 in 1977 all bar 2 out of the 20 shearlings sold by Plenderleith were sons or grandsons of Davyie as were most of the pen sold at Lanark for the next few years.

In 1983 a £6000 Troloss was bought and he bred the famous 19000 bellringer which was a Lanark shearling record at the time. He went on to breed very well for joint purchasers Kingledores & Gosland.

That year Bellringers team mates were a tup called the snowman who sold for 6500 to Glenmanna and Cuil and the pen of 18 tups averaged a fantastic 2064, which was 2nd top average, only pipped by a few pounds by Connachan.

Following on from this success, in 1987, Plenderleith sold a tup for £16000 to Midlock which was later named Scotty (after Scott Lambie as it was the first tup Scott sold in the top ring at Lanark as an auctioneer)

Over the years Mule gimmers from Plenderleith regularly topped St Boswells, brough out by Ken and draft ewes at Peebles and Lanark were always in high demand. His support for local shows such as Kelso, Pennymuir and Rochester was unwavering over his many years at Plenderleith, winning nearly all the championships but unfortunately the judges at Kelso never awarded him the champion ticket. His enthusiasm and encyclopaedic knowledge of blackface sheep and racehorses often got him into arguments with his lifelong friend Gavin Douglas with neither of them backing down.

Since his retirement in 2015, he and Margaret have moved into Denholm and aged 78 now he still finds time to do lambings, help at markings and handlings, works at the market, dresses sticks and keeps everybody right!

The recipient of this years Connachan Salver in Ken Hedley for a lifelong passion and absolute dedication to the blackface breed.