LOCKDOWN DIARIES: Putting a spring in our steps

We asked RGS parents and students to share news of how they are getting through lockdown. One family tells us how looking after orphan lambs has brought them joy and positivity

THE Goodwin family living in lockdown in rural North Yorkshire have been helping local farmers hand rear a number of orphan lambs, including one which fell ill.

Sixth former Amy and her brother, Year 10 student Alfie, helped nurse ‘Tiny’, who suffered from weak legs, back to health.

Along with mum, Allison, they improvised with a couple of pairs of old tights to create a physiotherapy aid.

“It was a bit ‘Blue Peter’,” explains Allison. “But the physio, along with some antibiotics, worked and Tiny is back to full health, getting up to plenty of mischief with her friends.”

While boarding students Amy and Alfie, from Potto, are missing their friends, along with all the banter in the boarding houses, Allison says: “The lambs really do bring some joy and positivity, we’re very lucky to have them.”

The lambs are kept in a barn overnight to protect them from foxes as they have no ewe with them and the Goodwins continue to do lots of bottle feeding: “We've now weaned the feeds down to three times a day. It’s a great excuse for all the family to be outside as much as possible and have a nurturing role in these unsettling times,” adds Allison.

Amy and Alfie are thoroughly enjoying the responsibility, she says, which is no doubt benefiting their mental health: “But it’s not quite a friends substitute!”