Beatrix, Bella and Bea

In March 2021, we received an urgent call about a lamb in desperate need of a home. She was one of twins and had been born blind. Struggling to settle at her birth farm, she reacted poorly to touch and noise, often spinning in circles out of distress. If a new home couldn’t be found, she faced the grim prospect of being shot.

We decided the best solution was to take in the entire family—mother and both lambs. This way, the blind lamb would be accompanied by her family, which was better for her and for all of them. We ended up purchasing the mother and one lamb, with the blind lamb coming at no extra cost.

We justified the £200 expenditure by promising ourselves we would find things to sell to cover the costs, although we often let our emotions guide our decisions. A life is precious, and if it can be ended so easily with a single shot, it can never be reclaimed.

In the past, we had welcomed two wonderful ewes, Daisy and Stargazer, both born blind. They turned out to be some of the calmest, most confident, and friendly sheep we’ve ever met.

With this in mind, we were more than happy to welcome this little lamb and her protective sister. We named them Beatrix, the mother, and Bea, the blind lamb, with her sister being Bella.