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Saturday, June 7, 2025
Cumberland and Westmorland Herald
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    Penrith Players present Noel Coward’s Hay Fever

    Penrith Players present Noel Coward’s Hay Fever

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    Paula Roberts’ pilgrim route to raise cash for Red Cross

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    Cumbrian animal charity celebrates with dog show for opening of new kennel complex

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    Appleby Horse Fair: Several cases of animal cruelty

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    Penrith gymnasts represent North of England in finals

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    Penrith Panthers celebrate winning season

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    Darren Edmondson leaves Penrith AFC

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    Lucy plays key role in county T20 triumph

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    Gold for Keith in annual festival of orienteering

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Cumberland and Westmorland Herald
  • News
    Penrith Players present Noel Coward’s Hay Fever

    Penrith Players present Noel Coward’s Hay Fever

    Paula Roberts’ pilgrim route to raise cash for Red Cross

    Paula Roberts’ pilgrim route to raise cash for Red Cross

    Farmers flock to North Sheep

    Farmers flock to North Sheep

    Cumbrian animal charity celebrates with dog show for opening of new kennel complex

    Cumbrian animal charity celebrates with dog show for opening of new kennel complex

    Appleby Horse Fair: Several cases of animal cruelty

    Appleby Horse Fair: Several cases of animal cruelty

    Multiple fire crews tackle roof fire in Crosby Ravensworth

    Multiple fire crews tackle roof fire in Crosby Ravensworth

    Free domestic abuse support drop-in service launches in Penrith

    Free domestic abuse support drop-in service launches in Penrith

    Penrith bar relaunched with vibrant events planned

    Penrith bar relaunched with vibrant events planned

    Penrith Beacon access closed after vandalism

    Penrith Beacon access closed after vandalism

  • Sport
    Patterdale’s Eden Eagles make history

    Patterdale’s Eden Eagles make history

    Penrith teen crowned British vault champion

    Penrith teen crowned British vault champion

    Penrith gymnasts represent North of England in finals

    Penrith gymnasts represent North of England in finals

    New boss revealed for Penrith AFC

    New boss revealed for Penrith AFC

    Penrith Panthers celebrate winning season

    Penrith Panthers celebrate winning season

    Darren Edmondson leaves Penrith AFC

    Darren Edmondson leaves Penrith AFC

    Lucy plays key role in county T20 triumph

    Lucy plays key role in county T20 triumph

    Gold for Keith in annual festival of orienteering

    Gold for Keith in annual festival of orienteering

    Cumberland and Westmorland wrestlers head to European championships

    Cumberland and Westmorland wrestlers head to European championships

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Home Farm and Countryside

Eden shepherdess enjoys starring role on BBC’s Countryfile Christmas special

by Guy Hurst
25 December 2023
in Farm and Countryside, Latest
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Katie Laidlow with one of her Herdwick cross Texel lambs.

A young shepherdess from the Appleby area played a leading role in the BBC’s flagship Countryfile programme on Christmas Eve.

Carlisle College student Katie Laidlow (left), aged 16, has already appeared in several previous episodes since her first time on the show in April, 2021.

This time, presenters Sammi Kinghorn and Joe Crowley joined in with Katie’s festive family traditions to celebrate Christmas on the farm at Dufton Wood. Katie showed Sammi how busy the farm is during the holiday season, checking up on livestock and tackling daily maintenance. Sammi also discovered how Katie gets the perfect photo for her family’s Christmas card — of her Herdwick sheep.

Additionally, Joe helped Katie and her mum Kirsten harvest apples for brewing hot mulled cider, while Sammi went on the hunt for a Christmas jumper from a local knitwear specialist who uses wool from nearby farms.

Katie said: “The filming was lots of fun and the weather was perfect. I’m super excited to see how it comes out on TV and the fact it’s Christmas Eve makes it even more special.”

What came through on the programme, as seen in previous episodes, is Katie’s love for farming in the Eden Valley.

She moved from Sandford, near Warcop, to Dufton in 2011 with her family — parents Kirsten and Andrew and older brothers Jack and Samuel — when they took on a farm tenancy at Dufton Wood.

From having just a few sheep, they gradually built things up and now have a flock of 175 head, half of which are Katie’s. Around 30 of these are Herdwicks, the traditional breed of the Lake District fells, with the rest being a cross between the Lleyn, a versatile Welsh type, and the Texel, which is popular for producing meaty lambs.

She also has two cows — Angela, an Aberdeen Angus, and her calf Albert, and Heather, a Hereford, with her calf Herbert — and is hoping to increase her herd. As if her farming activities were not enough to keep her busy, Katie is also doing a media course at Carlisle College — and has a number of media commitments.

These have included writing this year for the RSPB magazine, doing a video link with pop star Ed Sheeran and featuring in a Radio 4 interview with Nick Robinson — alongside George Eustice, then Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. She also has a slot roughly once every two weeks on BBC Radio Cumbria.

Mum Kirsten added that her daughter had got on particularly well with presenter Sammi Kinghorn. “Sammi is from a farming family and she and Katie spent a lot of time talking about how to look after sheep,” she said.

The Countryfile programme aired on BBC1 on Sunday at 6pm and can be viewed on the iPlayer..

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