Herdy is 10 years old this summer!
Our much-loved icon of the Lake District – the Herdy Company – is celebrating its 10th anniversary this summer.
Born in 2007, they have come a long way since their eventful launch and they’re going to spend this special year celebrating everything that’s great about the place that inspired them: the Great British Lake District. From the landscape, to the farmers- its custodians, Herdy are planning to be talking about the people, places, businesses and organisations that together, make the Lake District a thriving, living, breathing, special place.
Keep an eye out for this fella: ‘Giant’ Union Jack Herdy who will be out and about, visiting some amazing places and people, and possibly enjoying the odd ice cream or two!
Join in the fun with #GreatBritishLakeDistrict saying what you love about the Lake District and why.
Herdy work quietly in the background of their core business on initiatives which make up the ‘herdy Fund’
In a nutshell, these are projects that the two Directors – Spencer and Diane Hannah feel passionately about, and ultimately support Lake District farming in some way, or Lake District communities.
The latest project was to sponsor a trail blazing initiative to help protect and preserve the Lake District’s iconic Herdwick sheep breed, in the shape of the Herdwick Heritage Gene Bank.
A three-way collaboration between The Herdy Company, the Herdwick Sheep Breeders Association (HSBA) and Newton Rigg Agricultural College has resulted in 19 embryos being harvested from three new Herdwick flocks and are now frozen and stored in The Herdwick Heritage Gene Bank.
Spencer Hannah, co founder and director, said: “Herdwick sheep are the iconic breed of the Lake District and we are really pleased that our herdy fund has been able to make this forward thinking initiative happen. The fact that 19 embryos have been successfully harvested is a great result and really does make you smile. The project has also provided a fantastic learning opportunity for the students at Newton Rigg College who helped care for the Herdwicks and learn about the complex techniques of embryo collection.
Amanda Carson from HSBA, added: “We are absolutely delighted that 19 embryos have been successfully collected and frozen from three important flocks that are not currently represented in the gene bank. I cannot stress enough how complex and costly this process is, and to achieve such a great result is fantastic for the Herdwick breed now and in the future.
Herdwicks are the foundation of fell farming, which is one of the most sustainable agricultural systems in the UK today, in which the needs of the wild habitat and those of the domesticated animals are balanced and nurtured. Essentially, the environment of the high fells is maintained by the grazing of the sheep. For more information about other herdy fund projects and what the fund has accomplished since it was set up in 2008, check out www.herdy.co.uk/about/herdyfund
You can support the Lake District a little bit and take home a Lake District icon – Herdy are also offering our guests 10% off products in their Bowness shop (excluding limited editions, Herdy Country, Jewellery or already discounted items) up to the end of October.
Just show your Lake District Lodge Holidays booking email when you pay. That makes us all smile!
