Farmers set up Fiona Fund to raise money for charities

Farmers involved in the rescue of a ewe stranded at the foot of cliffs in the Scottish Highlands have set up a fund in her name.

The fund was set up in response to a “tidal wave” of goodwill from the public, including many offers of donations following media coverage.

The ewe, dubbed by the media as ‘Britain’s loneliest sheep’, has been named Fiona after another sheep found living alone caves in New Zealand was named Shrek.

The ‘Fiona Fund’ being launched this week is aimed at the creation of a fundraising legacy in the wake of the remarkable level of interest from around the globe in the rescue of Fiona.

The Scottish SPCA and RSABI were chosen as the charities to benefit from the fund for the work they do to promote good animal welfare and support people in need in Scottish agriculture, respectively.

Successful rescue and rehoming

Fiona had been stranded for at least two years at the foot of Cromarty Firth, and the location was generally agreed to be too treacherous to attempt a rescue.

Sheep farmer Cammy Wilson headed up the daring rescue attempt with four other farmers.

Fiona was found to be in very good condition and health after the successful rescue and, having been checked over by Scottish SPCA inspectors, she is now safe and very contentedly settling into her new home at Dalscone Farm.

“We know that Fiona has touched the hearts of millions of people worldwide,” said Ben Best of Dalscone.

“We have had loads of requests about how to donate to her cause but she’s got everything she could ever need at Dalscone. So, instead, we have set up the Fiona Fund in her name and would love to raise some money for some very important charities which have been involved in her rescue and her story so far.”

Due to her isolated location she had missed having her annual wool clip and her natural wool growth had resulted in a very big fleece. This has now been expertly and carefully clipped off by one of the farmers involved in her safe recovery, Cammy Wilson.

Plans to raffle off wool

The aim is to raffle some products made from Fiona’s wool, as well as collecting donations, but Cammy points out that, having not been clipped for some time, the quality of the wool is presenting something of a challenge.

“I don’t think it will be possible to make many items from the fleece – in reality we may be struggling to even get one jumper – but we are looking at a variety of other exciting possibilities to make the most of her wool,” said Cammy.

“The media interest and public support for Fiona has been absolutely incredible and we are very grateful for all the goodwill from people who have been following her story.”

The farmers involved in her rescue and her new home have set a target of £2,500 to be raised for the two charities. Visit the JustGiving page here:  https://www.justgiving.com/page/fionasfund?newPage=true

RSABI offers free practical, financial, and emotional support including counselling services, delivered quickly after receiving the initial enquiry. Its free confidential support service is available 24 hours a day, every day of the year, by calling 0808 1234 555 (calls won’t show up on phone bills) or through a confidential webchat service, available on RSABI’s website www.rsabi.org.uk.

The Scottish SPCA is Scotland’s only all-animal rescue service. The charity responds to over 235 reports of animals in need every single day, and throughout 2022 assisted over 2,300 farm animals. Its animal helpline is open every day of the year. The Scottish SPCA has been doing more work in recent years to assist farmers struggling to cope and look after their animals.