Meet the villagers who share a flock of sheep

Some villagers share allotments, others come together to save pubs - but there aren't many who share a flock of rare sheep with their neighbours.

But people in Chiseldon, near Swindon in Wiltshire, do so proudly. They contribute to a 'sheep fund' and take it in turns to feed the animals, who live in a valley called Washpool.

Brynn and Brock the Badgerfaced Welsh Mountain Sheep; Eric and Ernie the Herdwicks; Rockall and Bailey the Shetlands and Ross the Soay make up the flock.

"Everyone from Chiseldon comes to make a fuss of them," said Sheila Passmore. "You see children leaning over the gate to say hello and runners pausing to speak to them. Everyone loves the sheep."

Animals - such as sheep, cows and even an elephant from a travelling circus - were once routinely brought down to Washpool, a valley which backs onto Chiseldon.

But in 1881, the railway arrived which changed the landscape.

When the track later closed in 1961, the Washpool valley became neglected and "people complained it was spooky, dark and they didn't want to walk through there," Passmore said.

In 2006, Chiseldon Parish Council leased the land on the promise locals would tidy up the area.

Villagers banded together to clear overgrown paths and make the area accessible, but struggled on what to do with an abundance of nettles.

The Wiltshire Wildlife Trust suggested they bring in sheep to be natural lawnmowers.

"When we started we didn't even think of sheep," Passmore added. "But now, I can't imagine Washpool without them."

People of all ages in Chiseldon do their bit to care for the sheep and pool money towards their care.

Jade Ouimet makes a special birthday cake, of grated carrot and apple, when the village comes together to host sheep birthday parties.

"It is special at Washpool," said Jade. "The sheep are very much part of the community.

"I moved here about six years ago. Not long after [I moved here] I got pregnant and I now have two young children.

"My two girls love coming to Washpool.

"They come here every week and they have a special bond with the sheep. It's very important for my girls to grow up in a space where they are surrounded by nature and not just in front of screens."

Hilary Howe is chair of the Washpool Area Restoration Project (WARP) committee which cares for the land and organises volunteers. She said the sheep have become "family".

"We had a groundswell of support when we started. And a lot of the original volunteers still help out," she recalled.

Several examples of goodwill have been demonstrated in recent years, she added.

There was a farmer who took Eric the Herdwick to his empty lambing shed to nurse him back to health after a dog attack, a vet who volunteered to give her time for free and a local builder who used his mini digger to move the wood chips for WARP.

Hilary added: "People often ask me, who owns these sheep? And I answer 'well, the village does'. It is a remarkable situation.

"It's not something I ever dreamed I would be doing, but I find it immensely satisfying caring for them. We all do."

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