Shearing photos as sheep strip off

As promised, some pictures of the sheep shearing extravaganza that took place at Fordhall Farm last week. As the sheep form an 'orderly queue' the shearers warm up with a good strong cup of tea and flapjack.

Once they got to work there was no stopping the crew and they sheared over 70 sheep within an hour. Fantastic work lads!!

Other news from the farm - the Summer Newsletters are back and volunteers are merrily (under duress) stuffing 6,000 envelopes for you all. We hope to be posting them out next week - hold onto that excitment!

Don't forget - upcoming events include: Volunteer Weekend 9-10th June; Open Farm Sunday 10th June 11-4 (great fun, lots of self-led activities and an excuse to walk around the beautiful nature trail); Volunteer working day June 30th; and the BIG ONE Fordhall Family Fun Day on July 1st.

See you all soon!

Reappearing from the technological wilderness

Due to BT incompetence we have been offline for 2 weeks; not completely inactive!

Recent updates include:

• A mass sheep shearing at Fordhall Farm which has left lots of 'naked' sheep looking confused and bewildered about themselves.
• Scouts centenary is about to begin at the farm. Tents have been going up since Monday in preparation for the 500 participants. The event will be running until Monday and includes a ceremony on Sunday involving mayors and other community representatives.
• Charlotte and Sophie are off to Hay-on-Wye Festival today as Charlotte is taking part in a debate about No Cows = No Countryside with others including Peter Kindersley.
• Other - first board meeting with the new board took place last week. It was really positive and everyone is keen to get involved. There are so many different skills and experience amongst the baord members. This is going to be an exciting year!
• Sophie is still hotly persuing volunteers for Fordhall Family Fun Day on July 1st - we need as many volunteers as possible to help make this exciting day as successful as last year. Contact project@fordhallfarm.com or 01630 638696 for more information to see how you can help.

More information and pictures of startled sheep will be available soon!

Kiwi at Fordhall Farm

Margaret came to volunteer at Fordhall Farm for a week earlier in the year. She is from New Zealand and read about Fordhall in Country Living. This is an extract from her account of her time at the farm...

"Woah! I could handle my brother tripping me up anytime, but by a few dozen sturdy sheep while I've got a sack of corn on my shoulders? That was trouble.

Now, hold the sack up, rip the string, and put the feed evenly in the three troughs. No problemo! It's just my arms couldn't seem to hold the sack up after the marathon walk to get there, and I swear there was a knot in the string... I wondered if I put it down, whether it would be easier. That was double trouble.

The pregnant sheep were at it like a swarm of bees, I got separated from the corn, and the next thing I knew, one of the blighters had snaggled it's way between my legs and I was being carried off into the sunrise! Only I didn't get that far. When I fell off I was surrounded by dinky hooves, a moving maze of wool, and the frustrated baa's of hungry mother-to-be sheep."I thought I'd lost ya there for a minute!" Ben grinned after the job was complete. It had taken a month and a half for the bullocks to get me down in the mud in Cornwall, this was the first job on the first day in Shropshire!

Welcome to Fordhall Farm."