BBC Radio Cumbria

Lamb Bank is broadcast on BBC Radio Cumbria at 12:40pm and 5:40pm Monday to Friday and at 11:40am at the weekends.

You can submit details of your lambs by ringing 01228 592444 or by filling in the form at the bottom of this page.

The history of Lamb Bank

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."