 | 6 July 2009 Accessibility help Text only |
|
|
| BBC Homepage | | |
| |||
| Contact Us Like this page? Send it to a friend! | | |
Lamb BankYou are in: Cumbria > Lamb Bank > Lamb Bank 2008  Lamb Bank 2008Lamb Bank has now finished for the 2008 season. The county has been the homeground for the BBC Cumbria lamb bank since February 1974, when the service was set up in response to pleas from farming folk to find a home for orphaned lambs.
It's since spawned several such enterprises elsewhere in the country, but none as long-lasting as the original. The only break was enforced when foot and mouth hit the county in 2001, spilling over into 2002 in the form of strict restrictions on animal movements. Farming producer Gordon Swindlehurst says: "Sheep generally give birth to twins. The problem arises when either when one of those lambs dies, leaving a ewe with the discomfort of too much milk or when a lamb loses a parent. Traditionally, the latter scenario would have led to late nights in front of the kitchen fire, with a lamb in one hand and a bottle in the other." "What the Lamb Bank's been doing for over 30 years now is put farmers with lonely lambs in touch with ewes who need to nurse. It's a vital service to one of our biggest industries, and a community covering the whole of rural Cumbria." last updated: 29/04/2008 at 15:22 [an error occurred while processing this directive] |
| | About the BBC | Help | Terms of Use | Privacy & Cookies Policy |