Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust team rises to challenge of new arrivals during lockdown

The trust utilises a number of breeds of sheep and cattle to carry out traditional grazing management on its nature reserves across the county.

And lambing and grazing takes place each year at its largest site at the Idle Valley Nature Reserve near Retford.

Whilst working with livestock is always a challenge, the fact that the team’s busiest time of year coincided with the strictest period of lockdown made the work even more testing this year.

But the dedicated team, which includes a number of experienced volunteers met the challenge and seven Lincoln Red calves, 63 Hebridean lambs and 73 Herdwick lambs were safely born.

Paul Wilkinson, the trust’s chief executive, said: “Keeping our staff, volunteers and livestock safe and well is always a high priority and this has been especially so during lockdown.

“Carrying out the essential task of lambing and calving whilst at the same time managing the risk of covid-19 was very challenging but the team have done a tremendous job.

“The effort of the volunteers involved also underlines just how important volunteers are to our success.”

The covid 19 emergency has also meant the trust had to find an alternative team to shear the sheep before they could all resume their grazing duties across Nottinghamshire due to the usual team being unable to travel from New Zealand as they do each spring.