OVER the past decade, one Yorkshire Dales farmer has welcomed 1,000 people to his farm to experience lambing first hand.

Each spring Clapham-based charity Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust (YDMT) teams up with local farmer Rodney Beresford to deliver a series of hands-on days out for disadvantaged groups from across Yorkshire and Lancashire.

The groups learn the ropes of hill sheep farming, assisting Rodney with herding, tagging and marking new-born lambs on his farm at the foot of Ingleborough.

Judy Rogers, community worker at YDMT, said: “Everybody enjoys handling the lambs, watching Rodney at work and learning about farming. Being in the countryside lifts everyone’s mood and at the same time we can lend a hand.

"I would like to say a huge thank you to Rodney for his time, enthusiasm and commitment to this project, which offers such magical and memorable experiences to hundreds of people each year.”

Over the past ten years around 1,000 people have visited the Yorkshire Dales with YDMT and helped Rodney during the lambing season. For many groups, it has become an annual highlight of their events diary.

This year has seen adult service users from Settle Resource Centre and Stepping Stones in Skipton getting involved, along with the Blackburn and Darwen refugee support group and youngsters from The Burley Park Centre Pupil Referral Unit in Leeds, to name just a few.

At the end of the final lambing visit of 2016, pupils from The Burley Park Centre presented Rodney with a small gift and commemorative certificate in recognition of his dedication and generosity over the last ten years.

Judy added: “It is very special for a farmer to give up time during the lambing season – their busiest time of year – so we couldn’t let the tenth anniversary slip by unnoticed.”

These sessions have been delivered through Ingleborough for All – a new project which will provide active and thought-provoking activities for 780 people from groups currently under-represented in the countryside over the next four years.

Ingleborough for All is part of Stories in Stone, a four-year programme of community and heritage projects that has been developed by the Ingleborough Dales Landscape Partnership with funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Thanks to National Lottery players, the programme will enable people from all backgrounds and of all ages to learn about, enjoy and help manage the stunning limestone landscape around Ingleborough, both above and below ground.