Meet the animal sancruary owner who is a vegan living in the heart of Yorkshire farming country

Sharon is a vegan, enough for many in the farming community to see red at the mere mention and perhaps distance themselves from the offer of any support, but Sharon says she has learned a great deal more about farming and now has many farming friends; she’s also frowned upon by some vegans for using wool.

“Some years ago while on the Internet I stumbled across an animal being cruelly treated and it was at that point I wanted to do something with animals, gave my business to my daughter, uprooted and rented a smallholding in the middle of nowhere.

“I rescued an 18-year old cow that was dying and its baby calf, a couple of other cows as well. I absolutely fell in love with cows. Old Mamamoo and her baby called Luvu completely changed my life. My daughter gave Luvu her name. Everything that has happened since is down to Mamamoo.

“Sadly, she became arthritic and I had to make the decision to let her go. I remember being sat crying while grooming her, she turned around looked me straight in the face and licked my face.

“Then I found sheep or sheep found me. I originally rescued one old pregnant ewe. From there farmers who have lost land have found me, I’ve worked with farmers who have orphan lambs and a lot ring me now if they have disabled sheep.

“I have blind sheep, three legged, one-eyed. I’ve put everything I’ve ever had into the animals at Tranmire Grange. I don’t lamb anything. I get so many calls, many from farmers and although I’m full I will still take in the ones that I know have got no chance otherwise.

Sharon says that since moving to Tranmire Grange and having become, as far as some will allow, a part of the rural community, that she has changed her view, not completely but partly, about those whose lives are in farming and farm commercially.

“I have good and bad relationships with farmers. Because I’m vegan it is difficult for me and when I came here I had to change my views on nearly everything.

“I’d spent 10 years being hardcore vegan and I am still vegan, but my view has changed because I’m getting older and I want to be more peaceful, and I do get on with a lot of farmers. I have two ex-farmers that work here and absolutely love them to bits. I don’t judge anybody anymore for what they do.

“Personally, I wish, as a vegan, that there wasn’t such a thing as livestock farming because I love my animals, but I know that’s never going to change, but I also get criticism for what I do from vegans, because I use the wool.

Sharon sees herself sometimes caught between a rock and a hard place in terms of some of the reactions she gets from both sides of the vegan story, but it hasn’t dimmed her enthusiasm for either saving animals’ lives and offering them longer lives nor getting on with raising funds to keep her sanctuary going.

“I have Dexters, Limousins, a Highland, Hereford and Belgian Blue among my cattle at the moment and of the 300 sheep we have an amazing little lamb that suffered trauma to the brain, got her through it and she’s now perfect. The farmer wanted to buy her off me, but there’s no chance. When they are here they stay for life.

“I don’t push the vegan case too hard because it scares a lot of people, but I do call myself now plant based in terms of any food and I have the idea of opening up a café here soon. Yes, I work with wool, which offends some vegans, but I don’t allow meat onsite because I just can’t cope with that.

“Sheep Sanctuary, for the place to continue running and all the animals here to survive properly, needs around £75,000 a year. I have lots of ideas, as I want to make it as self-sustaining as possible, but I also need help right now.

Sharon says the problem is more acute at present as she lost one of her really good supporters who died of lung cancer last year, and her best friend previously.

“You only need to lose a couple of really good backers and you struggle. Kevin Hawkins was an online supporter and we became best friends. Kevin, who was a paraplegic, was the backbone to a lot of this.

“I’ve ideas like Piggy Picnics so that people can come, tickle a pig, get up close and personal; and sheep walking and hugging sessions with the Valais Blacknose; I love creating things so that’s where the fleeces being turned into felting wool for crafters and wet felted rugs came about.

“What we have here, through what myself and Kevin put in to come here is a great place now. We’ve had specialist foot baths built to keep the sheep’s feet good and we have built new barns. I have new craft areas and a shop in the barn ready to add to our income, but we still need whatever assistance can be given.

https://www.sheepsanctuary.com/donate