Lambs kept from grip of big freeze with Woollie Warmer

Sally Howe, 42, invented the Woollie Warmer – an insulated box filled with warm water – to revive hypothermic lambs struggling to survive during the harsh winter.

The plastic container, which is fitted with a rubber sling designed to suspend the lamb in warm water, insulates newborn lambs and protects them from the cold.

Sally, a farmer in Penistone, South Yorkshire, said: “Being a farmer’s wife, the job of reviving lambs born in freezing conditions was my job.

“It was very upsetting seeing newborn lambs dying of hypothermia immediately after being born and so I decided something had to be done.

“I originally used to put the hypothermic lambs in a bucket of warm water but I’d have to hold them there to stop them from drowning.

“There was also the problem 
of the water turning cold 
quickly.”

Sally went on to design the equipment with the support of her husband Andrew, 49.

“The lambs absolutely love it. We give them milk before we put them in the container and so they often have a little nap whilst they are lying in the warm water.

“They only have to be submerged for about 30 minutes until they are back to full health and it’s lovely to be able to save so many lambs from dying unnecessarily in the cold.”

Sally appeared on the television programme Dragons’ Den but was unable to convince any of the investors to back her idea.

However, since setting up the business, the former nurse has sold over 300 containers.

“I’ve sold more this winter than I have before. I think the freezing conditions has increased demand for them and interest has spread through word of mouth,” she said.