Cartmel Sheepy Village Raises £11,000 for Bay Search & Rescue

In June and July 2010 thousands of visitors flocked to Cartmel to follow the Cartmel Sheepy Village! trail, culminating in a Grand Sheepy Auction at the Racecourse Grandstand on 17 July.

To date, £11,000 has been raised for Bay Search & Rescue, and the barometer is still rising. The auction alone raised £5,500 - Fourteen sheep were auctioned for an average of £170 each, along with numerous generous lots donated by local businesses. Lord Cavendish’s bid secured that their mascot sheep, Red Ram, would remain at Cartmel Racecourse. Cliff Dixon of CNJ media and Mandy Dixon, manager of the new look K - Village, bid for two sheep that will be used as BS&R collection boxes in Kendal’s shopping centres. The most sought after lot - a ride on the BS&R airboat - went for £280.

The overwhelming interest and support for this project has resulted in Cartmel - Sheepy Village! becoming an annual event in Cumbria’s cultural calendar, with support from Cumbria Tourism, Cartmel Racecourse and Cartmel businesses. Plans are well underway for Cartmel - Sheepy Village! 2011 and the organisers have already been approached by a dozen people eagerly wanting to sponsor the new flock.

“Our aims have always been simple - to raise some funds for BS&R and have fun, whilst engaging with the many extraordinary people we have in our local community. The total raised is phenomenal as we only ever expected to see less than half that amount. The funds will go towards vital equipment and running costs for a charity that is run by local volunteers, committed to making the Bay a safer place. It is impossible to estimate the additional financial benefits for Cartmel businesses, but those involved have reported on improved takings during the six week event, and people are already talking about Cartmel - Sheepy Village! 2011, which is just fantastic.” Sandy Kitching, Sheepy PR liaison & website designer.

Fundraising continues and people can continue to support BS&R by purchasing a souvenir Cartmel Sheepy Village! calendar (£5) from one of the Cartmel businesses. The project has been managed by four local friends, who have donated all their time and professional services for no fees: Helen and Alastair Bramwell, Bramwell International; Richard English, The Cavendish Arms; and Sandy Kitching, Early Bird Design Associates. Mike Davis from Northern Print Distribution has been the enthusiastic and unflappable liaison with the charity, who works as a Bay Search & Rescue team operative. People interested in sponsoring a sheep for 2011 can contact Richard English on 015395 36240.

Landrover Discovery stuck in the Quicksand

The Bay Search and Rescue team attended a Landrover Discovery stuck in the Quicksand just off West Plain marshes at Flookburgh on early evening on Monday 10th May. The 2008 4x4 vehicle with 4 passengers had driven out onto the sands on a pleasant, clear evening and become very firmly trapped in the quicksand after approx half a mile. Despite various efforts to extract themselves the occupants ended up calling on the services of Bay Search and Rescue who responded with their two Hagglund ATERVs (All Terrain Emergency Rescue Vehicles).


The Landrover was quickly towed out by one of the tracked Hagglunds, crewed by the experienced Bay SAR team members. However as it had been stuck up to the bodywork the wheels were extremely packed with wet sand so within a matter of a few metres, and on the very slightest if inclines, it became stuck again. The team of four led by Paul Calland, Deputy Station Officer then hooked it up again and towed it safely to dry sand where the two Hagglunds then escorted the 4x4 back onto the nearest road at West Plain Farm


Paul Calland reported that the occupants of the Landrover were visitors to the area staying at the Haven Caravan site at Flookburgh. They had previous experience of driving their vehicle on sands on the West Coast of Cumbria, but found that the notorious quicksands of Morecambe Bay caught them out, (literally) and they were very surprised when their 'go anywhere' vehicle sank.


They were however even more surprised when they saw the two Hagglund Rescue vehicles drive straight across the myriad gulies and channels of the marshes and foreshore to them. They did not realise until later that these are possibly the only vehicles that will travel safely across this type of terrain and be capable of the recovery of a heavy vehicle gripped in the suction of Morecambe Bays notorious quicksand.


Ultimately though this was a very easy recovery for the team, no harm came to any of the vehicle occupants and even the Landrover simply needed a good wash,. But this could have been a very different story had they still been there a few hours later as darkness fell and the tide came in and completely covered the area. We cannot emphasise enough that although the sands of the Bay look to be a tempting place to visit, on foot or in a vehicle, they have a infamous reputation for catching out the unwary.

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FIBERGLASS SHEEP THEFT THREATENS MAJOR CHARITY FUNDRAISING PROJECT IN CARTMEL

A project to raise funds for Bay Search & Rescue has been sabotaged, before it has even been launched, after one of the prototype fiberglass sheep was stolen from outside the Cavendish Arms on Saturday night.


Cartmel - Sheepy Village Trail is a local fundraising initiative devised by traders, which was due to be launched this week.


Local businesses, community groups and schools were going to be invited to get involved in the creation of a Sheep Trail around the village of Cartmel, where visitors would be encouraged to look for the colourfully painted life-size fiberglass sheep.


Local businesses have already shown their support for the project by purchasing and sponsoring five prototype sheep, so the project organisers were devastated to find that the first bright yellow sheep (worth £100) had been stolen from outside the Cavendish Arms. Ten A3 size laminated promotional signs have also gone missing from outside businesses in Cartmel, valued at £50.


The fundraising project was devised in recognition of the work the Flookburgh based charity, Bay Search & Rescue, have been doing during the floods that saw their team deployed to Cockermouth. The charity need money for vital pieces of rescue equipment and it is hoped that the Sheepy Village Trail, which is scheduled to run from June - July 2010, would greatly add to their funds, and hopefully become an annual event. The event that was to involve the whole community will culminate in an auction, with all the proceeds going to Bay Search & Rescue.


An email 'ransom' letter has been received from an address lostsheepy1@btinternet.com and it is not known whether this is a prank that has got out of hand or a more malicious attempt to sabotage a community focussed charity event before it has even started. A copy of the 'ransom' note is attached to this release.


The police have been informed of the theft and anyone with information that will lead to the return of the sheep is asked to come forward.


"Whether this is a prank or something more serious, the organisers are determined to move the project forward and are working with Bay Search and Rescue to make sure the fundraising does not suffer after this setback." Richard English, Cavendish Arms.


Any businesses or individuals wanting to get involved with the fundraising project can do so by contacting Richard English on 01539536240