A DALES farmer has welcomed around a thousand people to his farm over the past ten years to experience lambing first hand.

Each spring the Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust (YDMT) teams up with local farmer Rodney Beresford to deliver a series of exciting hands-on days out for disadvantaged groups from across Yorkshire and Lancashire.

The groups learn the ropes of hill sheep farming, assisting Rodney with herding, tagging and marking new-born lambs on his farm at the foot of Ingleborough.

Judy Rogers, community worker at YDMT, said: “Everybody enjoys handling the lambs, watching Rodney at work and learning about farming. Being in the countryside lifts everyone’s mood and at the same time we can lend a hand.

“I would like to say a huge thank you to Rodney for his time, enthusiasm and commitment to this project, which offers such magical and memorable experiences to hundreds of people each year.”

Over the last decade around 1,000 people have helped Rodney during the lambing season.

This year has seen adults from Settle Resource Centre and Stepping Stones in Skipton getting involved, along with the Blackburn and Darwen refugee support group and youngsters from The Burley Park Centre Pupil Referral Unit in Leeds, to name just a few.

At the end of the final lambing visit of 2016, pupils from The Burley Park Centre presented Rodney with a small gift and commemorative certificate in recognition of his dedication and generosity over the last ten years.

Judy said: “It is very special for a farmer to give up time during the lambing season – their busiest time of year – so we couldn’t let the tenth anniversary slip by unnoticed.”