For 18 years, Bertha Park farmer Alistair Ritchie has given to deserving local causes by making an annual donation to Perth Silent Auction, which gets underway on Saturday (13th Dec).

And if anyone can disprove the theory that you can’t turn manure to gold, it is him.

Since the Auction’s establishment in 2007, where funds raised helped to build the Cornhill Macmillan Palliative Care Unit at Perth Royal Infirmary, Alistair has been donating a trailer load of cattle waste from his farm.

In every year so far it has sold, raising over a thousand pound for charities.

In some years, he has had to add extra loads due to high demand and – again – there are bids sitting on his generous (and pungent) offering this year.

“I’ve done this since the Auction started,” smiled Alistair, whose Grandfather moved to the farm at Bertha Park in 1917.

“When the Auction started, I sat down and thought: what can I donate? I am lucky to have a nice farm so I thought, well, I can put in hay, some fishing, logs and, of course, dung.

“The thing is, the dung has sold every single year. In fact, if there are bids sitting at £50 or £60, we might put another load on.”

Alistair’s main outputs at his farm are cereals, malting barley and wheat for the making of white spirit.

He rents out fields for potatoes, vining peas and turnips whilst keeping cattle for a local grazier who needs grass through the summer.

It is these prize cattle which are keeping Alistair in Auction donations.

“People need dung for domestic gardens. Folk who are showing flowers need dung and rather than going to a garden centre and getting a little bag for a fiver, you can get it by the tonne on the Auction for a very good price,” he said.

“I really hope all the lots in Saturday’s Auction get the bids they deserve because it is a great annual event giving so much to charity.”

Perth Silent Auction is organised by Rotary Club of Perth, in conjunction with Cameron Motor Group.

Businesses can donate lots up to Wednesday (10 Dec) and the lots will go under the hammer from 10am on the morning of Saturday 13 December.

Proceeds will be split between ANDYSMANCLUB, Cornhill Macmillan Palliative Care Unit at PRI and Beautiful Perth. 

Bids can be placed on https://www.perthsilentauction.co.uk