Linda Heap, Old Hutton WI, Cumbria

The quirky farmhouse Linda and John Heap bought in the Lake District after John was made redundant had a three-acre field thrown in... “Neither John nor I had the vaguest idea what to do with the field. A local farmer suggested we might like a few of his sheep to keep the grass down, but sheep did nothing for us – perhaps Shetland ponies? Then someone mentioned alpacas. A search of the Internet gave us a good insight into alpaca owning and rearing and armed with all this information we attended an alpaca auction.

“Because they are herd animals we knew we had to buy at least three females but as they are expensive we could easily have come home empty-handed. I held my breath as John’s hand kept flying in the air and that evening, after the most nerve-wracking day of my life, we were the proud owners of Midnight and her cria (baby) Blanco, together with Bisto and Whisper who looked more like a camel than an alpaca. All three adults were pregnant, so we knew our little group would double in size over the next year.

“Alpacas require regular husbandry and we had to learn quickly or incur very large vet bills. A very kind vet showed me how to practise giving injections on an orange, but an orange does not behave in quite the same way as a 60kg alpaca! They show their displeasure in various ways: we have a couple of kickers, a number who lie down, thus making nail trimming impossible, and one who takes great pleasure in doing both, with the addition of spitting the green contents of her stomach!

“We encountered problems trying to locate a mill that would spin our fleeces into yarn. We then joined the Cumbria Alpaca Fibre Co-op where all members pool the fleeces, thus bringing the processing costs to an acceptable level.  “Our wool is pure and undyed but until more shops begin to stock it, we are supplying yarn and fleeces for hand spinners by mail order. “There has been great joy, some sadness and frustration during our three years of alpaca ownership. With the assistance of our young neighbour Katie, we have managed some holidays, but even though the alpacas rule our lives they have given us endless pleasure.”
Linda and John Heap, Little Eskrigg End Farm, tel: 01539 738759.

‘Coming home’ to acupuncture

Louise Bailey, Wychbury WI, Worcestershire

When it came to retraining as an acupuncturist Louise Bailey, 42, kept putting the idea to the back of her mind. Having worked as an Environmental Health Officer in Local Authorities for 18 years, it seemed crazy to undertake three years’ study when she was settled in a well-paid profession. “I didn’t want to look back in years to come regretting not having tried it. I was fortunate as my current employers allowed me to work part-time – my weekends were spent at the College of Traditional Acupuncture in Leamington Spa with 20 hours’ study each week at home. Initially the idea was to complete my first year then reassess the situation.

“After 12 months I was hooked and there was no looking back. It felt like coming home and my heart and soul was in it,” says Louise. “It was not all plain sailing though. After qualifying I then had difficulties renting premises to practise in. The solution was to build a self-contained clinic adjacent to my house in Pedmore, Stourbridge. I had to fight a planning appeal to get it and after the stress of project managing the building I finally got my space to work in as an acupuncturist.

“It was great to know I could now help people; at the same time practising acupuncture is providing me with the stimulus of a challenging, rewarding vocation. My tip for others is: be positive and you can make things happen!”
Louise Bailey, Pedmore Acupuncture Clinic, tel: 01562 720275.

Looking to the future

Judith Batterbee, Charlton WI, Hampshire

In 2001 Judith Batterbee and her husband were still living in the same town where they had been born and lived all their lives. Already suffering from a degenerative spine condition, Judith was injured in a road traffic accident on the way to a WI outing, which left her traumatised and eventually led to the couple completely rethinking their lives. “Two years passed before I was allowed to drive again – my home began to feel like a prison.

“My husband and I had always wanted to move to another area but had chickened out. I had reached the age of 54 and I kept thinking how I didn’t want to end my days regretting bitterly that we hadn’t been brave enough to try a different path. In 2003 we decided to throw caution to the wind, sell our home, give up my husband’s job (with pension) and move to Andover – 180 miles away. We took a rented property and my husband decided to set up his own business as an electrician – a brave move at his age. We are both by nature cautious people and like to feel ‘secure’, so what we did caused absolute amazement amongst our friends.

“We decided to move to where our son lived because it has brilliant access for the disabled and with driving no longer possible, I could see myself charging about on a battery-powered scooter there. “While we lived in the rented house, most of our belongings stayed in the spare room. We had no security but this period proved to be one of the happiest times of our married life. We surprised ourselves by deciding to get on a plane to visit the Amalfi coast although I had been afraid of flying since the accident. I rediscovered independence with a scooter, taking myself to the hairdresser’s and to the library, even to college. I discovered how friendly and helpful people are in Andover.

“We have both undergone an amazing personality change. We have discovered a whole new way of life and proved that no matter what age you are, you can change your life if you want to enough. I believe in destiny and that good can come out of bad. I’ve even rejoined the WI.”