cheque is likely to be crossed A/c payee only if it is drawn on a UK bank, this means it can't be endorsed to someone else. It's possible your bank will be able to send it on a collection basis to the UK drawing bank but likely to be a charge for that
I'd try Ulster Bank, given they've a presence both sides of the boarder so might not be as expensive in terms of charges... you'd need an account with them though, so have a chat with them before you go opening up a new account (just incase )
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You may ultimately find it cheaper to combine a day's shopping up North, with opening a bank account somewhere up there to lodge the cheque...