A Cumbrian farm will feature on a flagship ITV show so viewers can find out why they should hug a Herdwick.
Yew Tree Farm in Coniston is set to be featured on Love Your Weekend, hosted by Alan Titchmarsh, on Sunday.
A film crew has been to the farm, once owned by children’s author Beatrix Potter, to find out more about its Herdwick Experience business – where people can get close to the breed.
Jo and Jon Watson, who run the farm, introduced Herdwick Experience because the couple had several unusually friendly sheep in their flock, who just seemed to crave human company. Jo became attached to these curious individuals and invited several friends round to share the experience.
Afterwards they told their friends and word quickly got round, until the entire thing spiralled, and people started offering to pay. In the end Jo found it was taking up lots of her time, so she took the bold step and decided to start running it full-time. Visitors can now meet these guardians of the fells face-to-face.
Jo has also discovered that these naturally curious sheep also have an incredibly calming effect on people, and she is being approached by a range of charities and organisations providing therapy and assistance.
Herdwick Experiences are part of a growing list of business diversification initiatives at the farm. It is is also home to a wedding business, an onsite butchery and farm shop, Jo’s art business and a holiday letting cottage, all of which helps with the upkeep and maintenance of the historic site.
Jo said: ‘‘Hopefully viewers will get a sense of what this landscape is about and the part we play in maintaining it. The entire idea behind the Herdwick Experience is to educate people about the Herdwick breed and to hopefully give them a little glimpse into the workings of traditional hill farms like ours.
“Letting them know how we work with this landscape and how we are making the most of the opportunities that the farm presents us with. Opportunities that help ensure that we can develop and maintain a viable business for the future, and keep our farming traditions alive, which has become increasingly difficult in recent years. All of which naturally helps farms like ours contribute to the maintenance of the Lakeland landscape that people know and love.’’
