Cartmel - Sheepy Village!

I was one of the four friends who organised the Cartmel - Sheepy Village! trail in 2010. We wanted to have fun art initiative involving the whole community, with a serious objective to raise vital funds needed by the Flookburgh-based charity Bay Search & Rescue. In these difficult financial times, we also wanted to bring more visitors to see our beautiful village and this had a positive effect on the local economy for businesses.

Our gang of four locals donated our time and professional services for free and we received no government funding, but did receive a grant from the Hadfield Trust that helped us on our way.

Cartmel businesses, community groups, schools and residents enthusiastically unleashed their wildest creative ideas and decorated a flock of 32 life-size fibreglass sheep. We produced a special map so people could find them all on the Sheepy trail around the village.

It was not all plain sailing when my first bright yellow sheep, Ewegene, was stolen from outside the Cavendish Arms in February and we received a ransome note. The police took the theft seriously and it was clear we were not simply doing a publicity stunt (HONESTLY!). Luckily the sheep was returned undamaged and the publicity the story received actually did us some favours in raising awareness of our project, so the thieves were left with egg on their faces.

Funds raised in 2010, to date, total £11,000 and the barometer is still rising (figure 1 Sept 2010).

The project has been such an overwhelming success that Cartmel - Sheepy Village! is to be a regular event with the next one taking place in 2012.

We hope you will come and stay at the Cavendish in 2012 and join in the sheep - spotting fun.

Richard English