The former nurse whose farm and B&B near Richmond has become a refuge for animals of all kinds

As well as herself, Low Gingerfield Farm, tenanted from the Zetland Estate, is home to two sheep, a goat, a goose who Gill said thinks he’s a goat, a chicken who fell off a lorry, a pheasant with one leg, a Bengal cat, a cockerel who sits on the front doorstep and a red collie, all of which Gill describes as “family”.

“I took on this wonderful old Georgian house nine years ago,” she said.

“I love old houses and when I saw it was available I said to my good friend and neighbour Ange Lynas that I really fancied having a look inside.

“I fell in love with it and I knew it just needed people to bring it back to life.”

Over the years Gill has developed it into a business called Hearts & Robins which offers B&B accommodation along with a wedding venue.

But with everything currently on hold, like so many rural businesses, she has had to adapt.

“I always try to adapt and diversify,” Gill said.

“During last year’s first lockdown I painted all of the fences around the garden and opened up outside for afternoon teas. I’m now doing takeaway meals.

“My food is basic stuff like cottage pie and macaroni cheese with bacon and leek. It’s very tasty and good quality and I have a great supply of meat from Ange’s family’s farm where they have rare breed pork from Gloucester Old Spots, as well as lamb and beef.”

Animals have been a part of Gill’s life since she was a child and had a bird which became a pet.

“I had a jackdaw, which I kept in the house at home with mum and dad for four years.”

When she arrived at Gingerfield Farm, she was told about a couple of goats which were facing an uncertain future.

“When I came here a friend of a friend told me about two baby goats that were due to be slaughtered.

“I’m a realist. I eat meat, but I was touched and when I saw them they were so beautiful I took them on and named them Gerta Goat and Billy Bob.

“What I hadn’t reckoned on was them getting together one night!”

Gill said the arrival of Esther had been an interesting addition to an Easter egg hunt.

“We were hosting an Easter egg hunt one day when the children suddenly received an extra curricula biology lesson as we had to help pull Esther out of Gerta. Esther is now one very big goat.

“I also have Jemima, a Swaledale/Suffolk cross ewe who is also huge and has produced a tup called Barnaby as well as Ferdie the pheasant who lost his leg in a trap.”

Gill’s animals and birds have found their home at Low Gingerfield through a number of different routes, some extremely traumatic.

“I like the idea of animals having more of a life than finding themselves surplus to requirements at a young age and that’s how the goats, goose and the cockerel arrived.

“People got to know that I would give them a happy home.

“I also bought the two pet lambs as company for my young goat Esther. Ferdie was found in a trap by two of my guests and had lost a leg, while Ada the chicken was brought to me as she had somehow fallen from a lorry that was carrying many more.”

Gill said it is a labour of love looking after her rescue animals but she wouldn’t be without her feathered and four-legged family.

“I receive so much pleasure from them in return. My cockerel comes to the front doorstep every morning for me to give him his breakfast of a poultry mix and will be singing out his chorus if I’m not there.

“To have that connection between two very different species, a human being and an animal or bird, is very special. I’ll always look after them and others that find themselves here in future.”

Gill has had a varied career which has seen her work as a midwife, in general nursing and completing a BSc in food nutrition.

She also runs a cleaning business with Ange Lynas.

But she said wellbeing and looking after people has always featured heavily in her choice of work.

“When I first came up to North Yorkshire I had the idea of starting up a herb farm,” said Gill.

“It was another type of well-being, but it never got off the ground due to planning issues and red tape.

“Having worked in all aspects of care and wellbeing you understand that it is all about being respectful and treating people well.”

Gill said these strengths are what has made her B&B and wedding business successful.