Have you ever bought a ferret at a harvest festival? Or Wayne Rooney's shirt? Has your vicar ever expressed a wish to move the harvest celebrations to a Friday evening, so he can recover in time for Sunday?

By tradition it's what happens at this time of year at the Cayley Arms at Allerston, a few miles east of Thornton-le-Dale on the Scarborough road.

This year's do will be a first for farming couple Dickie and Sue Ward. They took on the pub earlier this year with Sue as the licensee. They live on the outskirts of the village, at New South Farm, where Dickie runs a livestock enterprise, including a pedigree Blonde d'Aquitaine herd.

Next Friday will see them newly in charge behind the bar for the event although Dickie is already an old hand at it. "It's something different," he says. "Thirty years ago, when I lived in Leavening, a couple of retired farmers took over The Jolly Farmers pub and a harvest festival was started there. It still continues to this day. We came here about 20 years ago and I got involved with starting one at the Cayley Arms after we'd been here a couple of years.

"It used to be organised by myself and another chap called Albert Craggs and either the then landlord or landlady. We have to have it on a Friday because the vicar doesn't have to be at work the next day, which is just as well as he always enters into the spirit of the occasion!"

The clergyman in question, the Rev Canon John Manchester, is not from the village, but makes an annual pilgrimage to Allerston from Old Malton. "Canon Manchester has always been involved with the Leavening harvest festival, but when we started over here he came along too. He's rather partial to hare, so he likes to buy one at the auction as he hosts jugged hare parties."

The Canon gets proceedings under way at around 8 o'clock and there is a brief service lasting around a quarter of an hour, which usually includes a rendition of "We plough the fields and scatter.." followed by another hymn, plus a short address.

"He usually says a few words about how easy the harvest was to bring in," Ralph says with a mixture of humour and heavy irony over this year's harvest, which for a number of farmers is still not yet complete. "Everyone respects him while he is speaking – we put the towels on the pumps at the bar."

Then it's on with the main event, the auction. Dickie showed me a produce list from 2005 which ran to 170 lots, including everything from boxes of apples, bunches of carrots, parsnips, potatoes, cauliflowers, marrows, pumpkins, jam, leeks, sprouts, swedes, loaves, cakes, wine, eucalyptus trees, geraniums, primulas and cabbages. It also included a flight in a microlight, a replica Rugby League football (which sold for £150), a Christmas drinks party and a day's shooting.

"It's all about raising funds for needy causes. Last year we raised over £2,500. Wayne Rooney's shirt raised £150. This is for a number of charities including the local branch of the Riding for the Disabled and Talking Books for the Blind."

Dickie's brother, handily enough, is an auctioneer. And not just any auctioneer. Ralph Ward is chief auctioneer at Dunswell Livestock Market, between Hull and Beverley, and he makes sure everything goes with a swing. "He has been known to have husband and wife bidding against each other for a bunch of flowers, and particularly enjoys it when brothers keep bidding each other up."

Two of the best selling lots to be sold are sloe gin and fruit cakes. "The sloe gin has been known to go for as much as £30 a bottle, and the fruit cakes regularly get up to £20. Potatoes always go well. Many farmers have said that they wish they could sell a tonne at the price a bag goes for at auction."

Others who help ensure the auction goes well include Marilyn Waind, who sorts
out all of the bills and
money, and Margaret Gray who looks after the raffle. In recent times, Elizabeth Round, who works with Dickie on the farm, has taken on the job of writing down all of the lots.

Sue and Dickie are looking forward to a night which is always one of the highlights of the year. "The weather hasn't helped us – either for farming or for farmer numbers in the pub.
I think they're all feeling a little under the weather at
the moment, and they
are a big base of our customers.

"Hopefully they will all be here again next Friday. Our tourist trade has been better than we expected though and we'd be delighted to see those who have stayed with us this year come back on Friday to take in what really is a unique atmosphere."

Everybody in the village, and from miles around, gets involved. "Our village's church-goers come to our 'do' as well as attending the church's own harvest festival service, and some will send things up even if they don't come into the pub.

"We're always happy to see everyone, and anyone who just wants to come to see what we get up to is most welcome, it is a public
house after all!"

It's doubtful though that anyone will come up with something as original as local man Jack Hollins, of Wilton, one of the neighbouring villages.

"Jack brought a ferret with him one year. No-one knew until he unzipped his jacket and the ferret's little head poked out. All of the women backed away pretty quickly, but he was bought and the new owner took him away with it down his trouser leg! Well, he didn't have a zip-up jacket, did he?"

The Cayley Arms Harvest Festival & Auction, Allerston, near Thornton-le-Dale, Friday, October 17. It's best to arrive around 7.30pm.
Tel: 01723 859338.