An ex-farmer passionate about Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter runs a retirement home for more than 30 sheep in Boston, and The Lincolnite went to meet him to find out more about his ewe-nique work.
Andy Bailey used to be a farmer and milked cows in Leicestershire until around 15 years ago. After inheriting some money from his father he wanted to “play at being a farmer again” and decided to set up home in Boston in Lincolnshire, where Mirkwood Rest Home for Retired Sheep is based.
The retirement home is named after a forest called Mirkwood in Lord of the Rings and, after the first sheep arrived from Yorkshire and were entrusted into his care, it very soon changed his life overnight. The sheep would have gone for slaughter had Andy not purchased them and his love for the animals blossomed from there.
Andy loves spending time with his sheep. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
The original intention was for the home to make money, but when his first five Ryeland sheep (Molly, Sybil, Minerva, Olympe and Tonks) walked through the gate, he said they “trampled all over my heart on the way through”.
Andy dedicates all of his spare time to looking after more than 30 sheep. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Andy said the sheep are “such gentle, docile characters”. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
The 67-year-old is a full-time team manager for metering systems provider Lowri Beck. He said he can’t afford to retire yet and he dedicates all his spare time and money to giving the sheep the best possible life he can until they naturally die or have to be euthanised due to deteriorating health.
The sheep cost around £150 a week to keep, feed and medicate and, although Andy doesn’t like to ask for help, he admitted “I can no longer ignore the expense” and anyone who is able to help Andy “to continue to offer these beautiful, gentle, placid animals the twilight years that they truly deserve” can make a donation here.
“They’re just the nicest, most wonderful little animals,” Andy said. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Andy looks after all the sheep at Mirkwood Rest Home for Retired Sheep in Boston. | Photo:: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Andy told The Lincolnite: “Just literally from a minute of them walking through the gate I thought ‘this is it my farming life is done’. I went from a meat eating, couldn’t care less farmer, to an animal loving vegetarian overnight, and that was it.
“My mum couldn’t walk very well towards the end and there’s no way on god’s green earth I’d have had her put to sleep, so while they [the sheep] stay as happy and healthy as they are, then I shall continue to look after them.”
It wasn’t long before Andy bought another five sheep from a woman in Yorkshire who was no longer able to keep them, so he once again stepped in to save animals from being slaughtered, and when we visited he had a total of 36 sheep. He said he gives them food, water, and “a life free from predators”.
There were 24 female ewes and three castrated young males together, and in his other field a mile and a half away a further nine males. Andy also built an infirmary called the Norton Wing where the most poorly female sheep who struggle to move can be kept and cared for.
Andy loves spending time with his sheep. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
More than 30 sheep reside at Mirkwood Rest Home for Retired Sheep. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Since we visited Andy has collected a further two sheep – Vera and Wendy – and three more will be arriving this week.
The eight sheep Andy bred himself are all named after characters from the Harry Potter series – Harry Potter, Sirius (Black), Cedric Diggory, Severus Snape, Padma and Parvati Patil, and Albus & Aberforth Dumbledore. Sirius is the youngest, aged three, and the eldest is Sproxton Nancy who is 12.
Although he has more than 30 sheep, the majority of which are the Ryeland breed, Andy can still tell them all apart.
He said: “I see and feed them at least twice a day. I work from home mainly and I’m out here at lunchtime making sure they’re alright, and you just get to know their different features.
“They are just such gentle, docile characters. They’re very underrated and are more clever than people take them for.
“I just love them to bits. I think they’re just the nicest, most wonderful little animals. They’ll never hurt a soul.
“I’m from Leicester originally, but I’d never move away again. I love this, I love what I’ve got, I just love everything about it.”
Enjoying a peaceful life at Mirkwood Rest Home for Retired Sheep. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Andy knows all the sheep by name and can tell them apart. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
The rest home is nearly at full capacity so Andy can’t take in too many more sheep, but he is appealing for any volunteers who would be interested in helping him to look after the animals.
After recently purchasing a tractor to help move the muck heaps, he admitted it’s the “physical help I struggle with” and anyone interested in helping at the rest home should contact him via email at [email protected] or by messaging the Facebook page here.The same contact information can also be used to arrange visits to go and meet the sheep.
Andy caring for one of the sheep. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Mirkwood Rest Home for Retired Sheep is located on Shortfield Lane in Boston. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Although the rest home is mostly financed from Andy’s own pocket, there is an event held every summer called the Sheepy Shuffle – virtual half marathon and 5k events – to help raise donations to help keep it running.
Costs for bedding, food, and vet supplies continue to add up and any donations raised from the event will be greatly received – you can register and enter online here.
A medal from last year’s Sheepy Shuffle. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
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| Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
| Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
| Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
| Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
| Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
| Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
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| Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
| Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
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Sutton Bridge in Lincolnshire is currently joint with Bromley as the most polluted place in the UK, according to IQAir.
Both Sutton Bridge and Bromley top the list with an air quality index ranking of 84, which is described as ‘moderate’.
The main pollutant is described as PM2.5 Particulate Matter (PM) is a variety of compounds and materials that are not gas, some of which can be toxic and have severe impacts on health. PM2.5 is the measure of fractions of PM where particles are less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter.
A small proportion of PM is made up of natural sources like pollen and sea spray, some is transported from other countries. Around half is made up of sources like domestic wood burning, tyre and brake wear from vehicles.
By the time of publication, in Sutton Bridge the concentration was currently 5.6 times the World Health Organisation annual air quality guideline value.
This drastically affects the quality of life for people with respiratory disease and increases the chance of asthma episodes.
See the live listicle of the most polluted cities and towns in the UK right now, which continues to be updated.
Asthma + Lung UK have warned this summer we will see a ‘toxic cocktail’ of heat, storms and pollen which will put millions of people with respiratory diseases, which affect roughly 20% of people in the UK, even more at risk.
Part of the reason that so many suffer is because of the one-size-fits-all approach to treatment for these conditions is not always the most appropriate treatment route.
The most polluted places in the UK that need to watch out for the triple threat (as of 11.25am on July 7). | Photo: IQAir
Sarah Woolnough, Asthma + Lung UK’s CEO, said: “Respiratory disease is the third biggest cause of death in the UK and impacts the lives of hundreds of millions of children and adults across the world.
“The respiratory community is united on the need for greater investment in research that can transform our understanding of these complex diseases and drive the development of new treatments, and ultimately cures.”
By the time of publication, in Sutton Bridge the concentration was currently 5.6 times the World Health Organisation annual air quality guideline value. | Photo: IQAir
The CEO, as well as Professor Maria Belvisi, Head of Respiratory Disease at AstraZeneca, said: “The challenge facing treatment for respiratory diseases is radically improving the lives of millions of people around the world. This demands that we transform our understanding of respiratory disease.
“There are approximately 545 million people with a respiratory disease globally. Diseases such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and bronchiectasis have seen significant scientific advances, with research digging deep into the biology of these complex, chronic conditions.
“Healthcare systems are committing to improve outcomes for patients, however, there is still much to be done. Treatment for respiratory disease remains largely focused on symptom control with very little data collected from patients to understand their individual biology and disease progression.”
An Ingoldmells caravan park will face a near 6% pitch price hike after council bosses approved the measures on Wednesday.
East Lindsey District Council’s executive board members voted unanimously in favour of the 5.8% increase in pitch fees from January 2023, which bosses said represented around 50% of the latest Retail Price Index (RPI) figures.
Councillor Richard Fry, executive member for finance, told members: “As a key measure inflation, using the all items RPI as a basis for uplift is reasonable and proportionate as RPI increases are often the minimum increase applied to the council’s own costs.”
He said that continuing early payment discounts as part of the price list “demonstrates the extent to whcih the council values its loyal licensee customers”.
Following a question from Councillor Adam Grist, he admitted that the council would be taking a net loss on its income when further inflation was taken into next yet.
However, he said: “We do have a loyal licensee base site, and bumping it up by virtually 12% in one shot, even though that is the figure that is currently being used [elsewhere] seems somewhat unreasonable.”
Caravan owners locked in a court battle with ELDC around new limits on the age of carvaans have previously said the price hike would only serve to discourage people from coming to the site.
Stuart Allen previously said many members were “surprised” by the move.
“The site is still only occupied around 50%, with a significant number of the vans on site being directly owned and operated by the council,” he said.
“Increasing the ground rent will further encourage people to leave and discourage people to buy onto the site.
“For multiple years the council refrained from applying any increase in site rent, since COVID and the loss of vans on the site we have had inflationary increases every year.”
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