Dales Traditional Butchers Turning Sausages into Support

How a Dales Traditional Butchers Is Turning Sausages into Support for Parkinson’s

When the shortlist for this year’s UK Sausage Week Awards came through, the team at Dales Traditional Butchers in Kirkby Lonsdale had to read it twice. Not one, not two, but five of their sausages had made the finals.

“For a small independent shop, it’s an amazing achievement,” says owner Mark Duckworth. “We’re up against some big names, and to have five products in the final says a lot about the work the team puts in every day.”

The five finalists show the range coming out of the Dales kitchen, from the traditional to the adventurous: a classic Lincolnshire, a rich Beef & Marmite, a seasonal Venison, Cranberry & Sage, the ever-popular Cocktail sausage, and a Chicken & Turkey Bratwurst.

But for Mark and the team, this year’s Sausage Week is about more than awards.

Stephen Garry, one of the shop’s part-time staff, is training for the London Marathon to raise money for Parkinson’s UK after his partner, Geoff, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. When Mark heard what Stephen was taking on, he wanted the whole shop, and its customers, to get behind him.

“Stephen’s part of the Dales family,” Mark explains. “When something like this happens to one of your own, you want to help however you can. We thought, why not use our sausages to do it?”

So the shop handed the decision to its customers. Shoppers have been voting for their favourite of the five finalists, with voting closing on Sunday 25th October, the day before the awards are announced. For every kilo of the winning sausage sold from then on, Dales will donate £1 to Stephen’s fundraising, right up until he crosses the start line in London.

To add to the excitement, five lucky customers will each win 1lb of a finalist sausage, with a new winner announced each day from Tuesday 27th October. And throughout Sausage Week and beyond, from 26th October to 7th November, customers can buy 2lbs of sausages and get 1lb free.

“A vote gets people talking about the whole range, not just one sausage,” says Mark. “And knowing their favourite is helping Stephen and Geoff gives them a real reason to come in and buy. Our customers have always been brilliant at supporting us, and this is our way of giving something back.”

Whatever happens at the awards on 26th October, Dales Traditional Butchers has already got a winner on its hands, and Stephen has a whole town cheering him on.

Supporters can donate to Stephen’s fundraising for Parkinson’s UK at: https://events.parkinsons.org.uk/s/42484/60602