Malling Mail 3 Macey’s Meadow sheep


and one has produced 23 lambs in nine lambings – a good example of their maternal ability.


The average flock life for ewes in larger commercial flocks will be only four years.


The lambs in the meadow, however, with dark faces and legs, look quite different to their mums. This is because their dad is a Hampshire ram, who is also in the meadow. He is a big, heavily built fellow with a dark face, mutton chop whiskers and dark legs.


The sheep at Macey’s Meadow have become a traditional part of the village scene. Here, farmer Alan West, who owns them, talks about his landmark flock


The sheep were introduced into Macey’s Meadow at West Malling in 2001 to help manage the grass as part of a Countryside Stewardship scheme.


Since then they have become very much part of the village scene, particularly in the springtime when they have lambs at foot.


The ewes are predominantly Lleyn


(pronounced similar to clean with a bit of a lisp), originating from the Lleyn peninsular in north west Wales.


The Lleyn is a ewe bred, selected over many generations for its maternal ability. They produce lots of lambs – twins will be the norm – and have very strong mothering instincts and a high milk yield to feed their growing lambs.


They are also renowned for their hardiness and longevity. Some of the females in the meadow are 11 this year


in the UK, combining their maternal traits from one breed with the meat producing qualities of another.


MUSIC FESTIVAL


West Malling’s International Music Festival to kick off with Peter and the Wolf…


800 local primary school children are to enjoy performances of Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf on September 30 at St Mary’s Church, West Malling. Performed by the highly acclaimed Chamber Domaine with narrator Matthew Sharp and conductor Thomas Kemp, the performances are the culmination of an education project where top-class musicians will work in schools in and around West Malling. The concerts mark the opening of Music@Malling – an international festival of music that runs from September 30 to October 2.


Peter and the Wolf was written by Prokofiev in 1936 for the Central Children’s Theatre in Moscow to


cultivate musical tastes in young children in the early years of school. It rapidly became a worldwide hit and has been performed by children’s favourites The Muppets and Sesame Street. Famous narrators include John Gielgud, Boris Karloff, Sharon Stone, Ben Kingsley, Dudley Moore, Terry Wogan and Dame Edna Everedge.


Prokofiev spent the period after the Russian Revolution in 1917 in exile. In 1936, he decided to return to the Soviet Union where he was welcomed as its most celebrated composer. In 2004, after the dismantling of the Soviet Union, President Bill Clinton and Mikhail Gorbachev – the former Soviet leader – recorded Peter and the Wolf with actress Sophia Loren. The recording won a Grammy.


The performances in West Malling will be interactive and include a story made up from ideas taken from the audience using musical themes created by the students in the schools workshops. Brookline


Coaches and The Clout Institute are sponsors of the workshops and concerts.


Chamber Domaine recently gave performances of Peter and the Wolf at London’s Wigmore Hall – the story created by the audience from inner- city London schools was about a flamingo from Willesden!


Music@Malling also includes concerts of Mahler, Mozart and Mark Anthony Turnage in St.Mary’s Church, Pilsdon Community Centre and St.Lawrence’s Church Mereworth with Chamber Domaine, Yeree Suh and the Finzi String Quartet – winners of the Royal Overseas League competition. There are also jazz events with the James Pearson Trio – resident artists at the iconic club, Ronnie Scotts – and Eclectica at The Swan.


Full details of events are on www.musicatmalling.com. Tickets can be purchased in advance from the box office 01732 770929 and on the door, subject to availability.


The Hampshire is what is referred to as a terminal sire breed. This is used to produce good quality, meaty lambs that will eventually end up on people’s dinner plates.


This is a typical example of sheep production


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48