- 23/12/20 ~ Nicky has made a donation to our charity in memory
of her beloved Ruby her faithful animal companion who was a treasured family member. On
behalf of the charity, I wish to thank Nicky and share in the sense of loss.
Nicky, "We had 12 fantastic years with the best family dog we could wish to have until she got her angel wings & departed on 12th October 2020. Her memories are safely tucked in our hearts forever."
- 08/12/20 ~ Instead of buying Kath a Christmas card, Dale bought Kath a £10 donation to the cat's protection in memory of the departed and much loved Moriarty.
Kath said, "The nicest Christmas present I have ever had. Thank you Dale, I loved my lovely Moriarty so much."
- 04/12/20 ~ The first snow of winter. The hooligans seemed unconcerned with the weather and ignored the conditions and carried on munching the haylage!
 
 
- 27/11/20 ~ Kath's news: No that is not the end of it. Last weekend they got out and were all on the drive. It appears part of the fencing in Thornsbeck Wood
had broken. Joel and Dale were called and they will come and mend the fence, meanwhile the gate to Thornsbeck is now closed. They could have been in the memorial garden and eaten the
plants there. That gate is now shut. There was no sign they were posioned again thank goodness! They are hooligans and the sick bay is now the cooler and they are on their final warning!
Joel told me that they would always be like that and even the farmer that breeds them has difficulty if they are not careful, he will get my hooligans back! It's like a Shaun the sheep
episode! George is the ring-leader. I'm too old for this!
 
- 25/11/20 ~ Sunday 15th November we found George - a hebridean sheep lying life-less in the field. The first thought was that he was dead. Joel and Dale the sheep
farmers came straight away and found he was not dead but in a very bad way. Two of the other hebrideans were foaming at the mouth and were all placed in the sick bay. Poisoning was suspected
and our vet was summoned. Imagine our surprise when Matt the Yorkshire vet as seen on the TV series arrived. Matt agreed that they had been poisoned. He gave each 5 drenches of charcoal, a
steriod, antibiotic and stimulant. They had to have another drench five hours later and Dale the sheep farmer came and administered the second drench. Matt was hopeful regarding two of the
sheep but not too sure regarding George. The next 24 hours was critical. The following day the two -Dandelion and Burdock had recovered. George had survived the night but found it difficult
to stand. They were all kept in for another day and now George was standing and eating. However, he was kept in for another 3 days with one of the sheep to keep him company. He has now fully
recovered and is in the field with his friends. Matt, the vet was brilliant and he has saved them. It turned out they they had eaten some evergreen plants that have since been removed. The
following day, Matt phoned to see how they were and was extremely pleased to hear that George was on the mend.
Thank you Matt, you did a grand job and he had his photo taken that and it will be placed next to this news.
 
 
- 25/10/20 ~ The way forward: Develop Diggle, Main Aims, Areas of Study.
Below is a photo of our first squirrel.
- 04/10/20 ~ Kath's news: I am quite concerned that we now have four extra sheep bringing the flock number to nine and therefore, the bungalow and
penthouse will be both needed to provide indoor shelter. I have converted Toby's stable to provide a 'sick bay' for any injured or sick sheep. There is more space compared
to the penthouse and because it is housed within the main building there is no sign of dampness. There is a thick bed of straw ontop of shavings, lighting and plenty of
containers to provide food, haylage and water. In fact my only worry is that once they have tasted the sick bay is getting them to go back out especially Bumble who likes
her home comforts!!!
 
- 01/10/20 ~ The Digglers would like to announce that Jacob is now the trainee farm manager.
- 24/09/20 ~ Read Dale's latest volunteer log.
- 12/08/20 ~ Read Dale's latest volunteer log.
- 04/08/20 ~ Jacob gave me a lovely surprise as a late birthday present. With the help of his mum, Vicky, they took a photo of Ollie, he is in front of Trixie and sent it to be made in a cushion cover, but inside is some of Ollie's fleece that Jacob collected when Ollie was sheared. It is something I will treasure and Jacob is a treasure too!!!
 
To see more pictures of the sheep, click here.
- 26/07/20 ~ Update: Here are some more up to date photos of the roof.
 
The beautiful garden thanks to Dale and Chris. The trustees are delighted.
 
 
 
- 21/07/20 ~ In a few days time the 4 Hebridean lambs will be arriving, 2 girls - Dandelion and Burdock
and the boys George 2nd and Rambo 3rd. They are small sheep and all black so my crew are in training so that when they arrive
they will bend their knees, however, I'm not having too much luck in that!!!
Poor Bumble has been ill with a slight infection and I called the vet. It is nothing serious and she has been on antibiotics for 5
days and she is okay now. It was a bit of a problem where to put her as the penthouse is very wet due to the roof leaking and part
of the roof is now starting to collapse.
- 04/07/20 ~ News: The other weekend the pent house and bungalow were 're-roofed',
however as the photos show it obviously did not work, it has now been referred to our insurers NFU who have
given the OK for it to be repaired. At the moment the sheep have nowhere to shelter as both areas are wet
and the roof in both areas are leaking.
 
 
 
The Digglers have a new volunteer called Jacob. Read his log here.
- 25/06/20 ~ The tractor cometh to mow the field. The sheep are not too pleased as their grass is being cut. As you can see we
have plenty of plums on our tree but they will not be ripe until September so it's jam pots at the ready!
 
 
- 16/06/20 ~ Kath's news: Heard from WWF the koala I sponsored was Mary Ann. She was badly burnt but after intensive treatment she has been returned into the wild. I will be given another koala! Great news.
- 15/06/20 ~ The latest fashion for cats, Mirabel is setting a trend, for some reason she has decided she is a cool cat with a pompom on the end of her tail! How she has done that Kath has not got a clue.
 
- 14/06/20 ~ Everyone has been extremely busy and the memorial garden looks splendid. Pam would have been very proud. A big thank you to everyone. Even the gnomes are having a face-lift!
 
 
- 19/5/20 ~ On 17th May we had our first volunteer staff meeting. You can read the minutes of the meeting here.
- 08/05/20 ~ Kath's news: Dale now thinks he's Dr Dolittle!!!!
 
- 02/05/20 ~ Kath's news:
I have decided not to pursue the idea of having bee hives at Diggle. The ethos of our conservation is to encourage species to establish their
own home and not to enforce a species to colonise an environment that might not be appropriate to their survival. We will therefore, purchase
a number of bee and butterfly houses and hope they will be put to good use.
- 21/04/20 ~ Kath's news: Here are some photos through showing damage to trees in Thornsbeck Wood due to deer. We
have 3 deer prancing about and we are placing plastic tubes on the tree trunks. I know I wanted wild life but this is ridiculous. I will
be worried if brown bears arrive!!!!
 
- 15/04/20 ~ Kath's news: Everything is blooming up at Diggle mainly thanks to Dale our farm manager.
He has worked extremely hard and even the locals are noticing a difference, surprising what a fresh coat of paint can do.
The trees are beginning to leaf and the memorial garden now that it has been tidied is a treat. Dale has planted some wild flowers in pots.
We are both looking forward to our new additions to our flock but as they will be this years new born lambs it will be a few months before they arrive.
I have been able to get up to the small holding every day farmers are exempt from the lock down as we have to tend to the animals. I shall ask Dale
to take some photos of the work he has done to the buildings and ask Ruth to place them on our website so you can judge for yourself. Well done,
Dale and the other trustees are delighted.
- 13/04/20 ~ You can read Dale's latest log now. Also here is a photo of the Snakes-head flowers. They are growing up at Diggle.
- 25/03/20 ~ Hope everyone that reads this is free of the virus. Having livestock like other farmers they have to be looked after so therefore I have to go every
day to Diggle and see to the sheep. It is very eerie now as there is very little traffic on the road. Dale has been coming and we have managed to do lots of work and the place looks
splendid. I hope the next time I place something on the news, there is better news concerning the outcome of the virus. I shall be very worried if I go up and see the sheep wearing
masks! Take care everyone and do what Boris says..
- 18/03/20 ~ Two exciting projects for Diggle. Damian and Dale, they know two local bee keepers and are contacting them
to gain experience at bee keeping with the prospect at having our own hive. Kath is looking at wild life action cameras and to purchase one for
Diggle so that we can study the extent of the current wild life and also to monitor the growth of numbers and any new species due to the development of the woodland.
- 09/03/20 ~ The charity has recieved a letter from Nigel Draffen in regards to
The Lady Mary's Memorial Wood. You can read it here.
Kath is now a protector of a Koala. Click here to see the certificate.
The accounts for 2018-19 are now visible online.
- 08/03/20 ~ Read Dale's latest log here.
- 05/03/20 ~ Some very sad news. Today I lost Moaiarty, my Mr Butler! Tomorrow, Dale and I are taking him over
to Rossendale Pet Crem to be cremated with full military honours and his ashes brought back. He was a very old boy and will be missed
dreadfully.
- 10/02/20 ~ On Sunday, the wind was so severe that any attempt to get to the sheep was too dangerous. This morning - Monday, the
wind speed had decreased and Kath was able to feed the sheep. However, the gusts made it still quite hazardous. There appeared to be no structural damage.
In Dale's log are some photographs of trees in Lady Mary's Wood starting to bud. Several were blown in the storm and the stakes need to be hammered in.
Otherwise the majority are still in place.
- 07/02/20 ~ WWF are assisting with the koala rescue. Kath has been in touch and made a donation so yipee she is helping a koala and they will send her details.
Kath is also contributing monthly to their cause. They could fly some over to Diggle but we aint got eucalyptus trees in our wood!!!
- 04/02/20 ~ Moriarty is doing fine on the steroids. He is now maintaining his weight
although initially he lost quite a bit. Looking back Morry must be quite an old cat. I have photos of him up
at Diggle 2005 and I had him a year or two before that as a feral at my house. Simmy must be of a similar age
and she has been on tablets for a least 4 years. I keep asking the vet for some but you know the answer to that!
A young man, Dale has started helping at Diggle with the sheep and general farm work. He is keen to train as a
farm manager. The charity has set him a course of study in sheep management, woodland management, field management
and farm management. Dale will also be spending time with Joel a local sheep farmer to learn the trade. The course
the charity has set will stand him in good stead if he wishes to attend Agricultural College. Dale hopes to become
ultimately our farm manager and have his own sheep at Diggle. You can follow his progress in his monthly log that
will appear on our Land Army page. Good luck, Dale there is some hard work and studying in front of you!
- 19/01/20 ~ Kath was disappointed that Trevor the reporter did not include
the fact that Dale and Joel Broadbent, two sheep farmers from Delph came on the Tuesday afternoon
when the trees were delivered and left on the drive and came and took them down the field ready
for the volunteers to start the planting the following day. That was 1000 trees, 1000 stakes and
1000 tubes. A big thank you to Joel and Dale.
- 13/01/20 ~ Follow up article about the tree planting featured in the Saddleworth Independent January 2020 edition. To read the article
click here.
This morning Kath is sending to the Norfolk family at Arundel,
copies from the local press confirming the creation of Lady Mary Memorial Wood. Click
here to read the letter.
- 04/01/20 ~ Since it has been very mild over the past few days, the sheep are
very excited and would not come for food, I am sure the spring grass is coming through.
Some sad news, Moriarty has been losing weight and I took him for a blood test. All appeared to be fine
except blood count was low. Morry went in yesterday for an examination and ultra sound that revealed he
has a tumour that is attached to his intestine. The liver, pancreas and sleen are not affected. He has
been placed on steriods and it is where we go from here. I am in discussions with Michael Gourley our
retired vet and bursary trustee as to the best way forward. Will keep you informed.
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