It's clear that Cornish Mutual Member
Karen Harmer is passionate about sheep, "It's more than just a
hobby, and I absolutely love them. I've always had sheep and my
flock is my pride and joy," she says.
Karen, who lives in Stoborough in Dorset, describes herself as a
smallholder, "It's a way of life for me - I have around 50 Soay
sheep which I graze on the mound at Corfe Castle, as part of a
conservation project and I'm really keen on preserving native rare
breeds.
"If people don't keep these primitive breeds going then they
really will be at risk. I think we need to keep the support strong
and encourage others to take an interest in this project. We need
more young people to get involved in the preservation and keep the
tradition alive," she adds.
Karen recently turned to Cornish Mutual to provide her with public
liability insurance cover, as her hardy sheep also roam on the
southern slopes of the Purbeck Ridge. It's an area frequented by
dog walkers and ramblers with plenty of public access.
She says, "There are lots of footpaths running across the grounds
which are owned by the National Trust and I wanted to make sure
that both the animals and the public enjoying this area are
protected and safe. Someone could easily leave a gate open or the
sheep could get onto the road and I was keen to avoid any potential
problems, it's just peace of mind really."
Cornish Mutual's Dorset Inspector Chellie Elkington went out to
see Karen and her sheep so she could fully understand and discuss
her needs, "It's so rare these days that insurance companies
actually bother to come and see you, so I was really pleasantly
surprised. Chellie got a much better idea of what we were doing and
I think that face-to-face, personal approach is really important,"
she adds.
Karen, who is married with two sons, has been grazing her sheep
for around five years. She's recently been approached by the
National Trust about taking on more land and is now looking to add
another ten Herdwick sheep, funded by the Purbeck Keystone
Project.
She says, "What appealed to me is that Cornish Mutual has a real
understanding of my situation and gives complete flexibility, so
that I can start small and if my situation changes, the policies
can grow with you and I know I can bolt on other insurances as and
when I need them.
"Of course, cost is an important consideration, but Chellie was
great to deal with and made it so straightforward and simple to
organise. It's great to know that I can just call on Chellie and
get an answer immediately."
Chellie Elkington, who looks after Members across Dorset, adds,
"Karen has some fascinating sheep and is a lovely lady doing a
great job for such a worthy community project. We're really
supportive of Karen's determination to keeping the breed of sheep
going, as well as preserving the Purbeck heritage and countryside
for local people and visitors. It's great to see someone so
passionate about conserving the land around Corfe Castle - which is
absolutely beautiful."
The Purbeck Ridge Project is a chalk grassland restoration
project, part of a large Heritage Lottery funded initiative that
has been running since 2006. The sustainable element of the project
provides grants for people like Karen, and the Purbeck Ridge
landowners, to buy traditional, native breed sheep and cattle for
grazing, as part of the gorse control programme.
Jo Shipton is the Biodiversity Officer for the Project and thinks
Karen is doing a great job, "She's been absolutely brilliant and so
supportive, and it's really refreshing. Karen is directly involved
in the restoration of this area. Having her sheep grazing is
important to help conserve the landscape, especially in
compartments that are only grazed with cattle; her sheep can
provide that essential combination grazing effect we are trying to
achieve with this project."
For more information about the Purbeck Keystone Project in Dorset,
visit www.dorsetforyou.com/keystoneproject.
