How we ended up on a tiny island with a flock of sheep.

I’m in our kitchen blending a bunch of herbs and garlic, ready to mix with feed, to keep our flock of sheep strong and healthy. I use the word “flock” loosely here, we only have 13. Nori, Kelp, Bubble, Noah, Popcorn, Rocky, Adrian, Jeff, Athena, Serg, Pepper, and Dot and Matrix (we couldn’t resist those last two, if you’re old enough you’ll get it, if not, ask someone over 40) are living out their forever lives in a field close to our house.   

These lovely creatures have become a central part of our lives, a daily routine, and our outdoor life in wellies couldn’t be more different from the city life we were leading not so long ago. No surprise we’re often asked “how did we get here”?

After many years chasing our careers, life in London had become hectic, stressful and unhealthy. Racing the clock every day, we were keen to break away and make a fresh start. We decided to explore Scotland in search of our new home. After many months and 1000s of miles, in April 2018, on a glorious sunny day, we stepped off the ferry on the Isle of tiree and within 5 minutes decided that this was our future home. Why? Some places just connect. The Isle of Tiree did with us. It was exactly what we were looking for.  

Not long after moving here we were chatting to the local crofters, learning about their lives looking after livestock and about some of their challenges.

We learnt that sheep in the wild usually only have one lamb, but in farming had been bred to give birth to two, and sometimes three lambs, in order to be more profitable. In some cases, having more than one lamb is too difficult for the ewes, and one of the lambs is rejected. In order to keep these little lambs alive, they need to be hand reared and bottle fed, a task that is both time consuming and expensive.

Lambing season 2019 arrived…

…and it was not long before we were offered one of these orphan “pet” lambs to look after. We quickly said yes, not realising quite how much that little word would change our lives.

Upon visiting the lambing shed to choose ours, and seeing all the cute little brothers and sisters, we ended preparing for seven. You can’t just have one lamb now can you? It would get lonely. So there you go, seven lambs makes a flock.  

We spent the next few weeks learning the ropes: How to mix their milk, how to clean their bottles, how to feed them, what illnesses they could catch, how to spot and treat them, what paperwork we needed, and so we found ourselves fully immersed in our crash course on rearing lambs, crofting if you like with a very small “c”, and enjoying every minute.

Then finally came the big day. It was warm enough for them to venture outside and we could bring them home. An upturned modified IBC in our garden with a comfy bed of straw for shelter and more than enough space for them to run around. This was such an exciting day for us. To see the look of surprise on their little faces, exploring every corner, nibbling the fresh grass, and finally settling in the IBC for a rest, all cosy and cuddled up.

This was going to be a happy home

The following weeks and months we learnt a lot about our lambs. Nori quickly started to take the lead. Dot was so greedy you’d have to hold the bottle really tight or she’d pull it right out of your hands. Matrix was so curious about what was on the other side (and he knew where the food was kept!), he learnt to leap fences very early on. Noah, for a good few months, had a look of permanent confusion on his face. Being the only Texel cross we have, he’s probably the least handsome of all, but he’s definitely one of the sweetest.

Knowing that we could never send our lambs off to slaughter, their usual fate after a short life, we realised we’d need to find a long term solution as our garden would only hold them for so long, so we set out to find a way to keep our sheep for the rest of their lives without breaking the bank.

Having designed all kinds of products and built many brands for corporate customers we figured we should apply this knowledge to ourselves and we set about brainstorming ideas. One day in the field, bottle in hand as we were admiring their rapidly growing healthy fluffy fleeces, it struck us. The wool!

A wonderful natural, renewable source that is shipped off the island each year at a cost to each crofter. These days farmed sheep have fleeces that never stop growing, so we have to gently remove their winter coats before summer to stop them overheating. It made perfect sense to use turn these fleeces into woolly hats. After all, who doesn’t like a woolly hat?  

And that is where our idea for WELAN started. The first chapter in our woolly story.

Conclusion

Tired of a life chasing corporate stuff, with not a moment to ourselves, we set off to find a new home in a remote part of Scotland. That new home was found on the Isle of Tiree, after a long search throughout Scotland. One day, we found ourselves saying yes to the offer of taking in an orphan lamb. One lamb turned to seven, and seven turned to 13.  That is how we ended up on a tiny island with a flock of sheep…