Our very own Tony Hopkins is running the London marathon this year (22nd April 2018) to raise money for Rural Care. Once we had got over the fact that Tony could actually run and didn’t just stand around drinking tea all day we thought about how we could help him train. What Tony doesn’t know is that we have a training schedule planned for him. How better to train for a marathon than helping herding sheep. We thought he could start by herding our flock of 200 ewes. Think 1 man and his dog, without the dog! To finish up his training we thought we could put the pressure on and let the rams do the herding and see how fast he can run! We are here to help in anyway we can.

All money raised will help Rural Care in different ways to help in general but there are some specific projects and tools we have in mind.

• We would like a few new 2 wheeled wheelbarrows, these enable Co Farmers with mobility problems to be more independent.

• We would also like to make some of our animal pens more accessible for wheelchair users.

• Finally we have a fund for individuals who we really feel would benefit from what we do. Funding for provisions and services is diminishing year on year. It often hits hardest for those who fall between the cracks or don’t fit into the funding boxes. This fund will enable those individuals to access the farm and all it has to offer.

We are blown away by this amazing gesture and will be with Tony every step of the way through this amazing journey.