Livestock Deployed to Safeguard Historic Church from Beetle Infestation

A team of weed-consuming sheep has been introduced to assist in the upkeep of an historic church. St Wolfrida’s Church in Horton currently houses four Ronaldsey sheep, whose role is to safeguard the structure from deathwatch beetles. This 12th-century ecclesiastical building necessitates £300,000 in repair work, in addition to measures designed to ensure its long-term preservation. Philip Bailey, the church warden, initially proposed utilizing livestock for the maintenance of World War One graves situated outside the church. Although initially on loan, the sheep were subsequently acquired by Ruth Marshall, who serves as both parish administrator and a shepherdess. Ms. Marshall clarified that the church faces financial constraints, prompting the congregation to initiate fundraising efforts to finance the necessary repairs. Deathwatch beetles have caused damage by consuming portions of the church’s internal framework; the building itself was documented as existing since 1401. Mr. Bailey stated: “There were sheep in St Wolfrida’s on and off forever in the past hundreds of years.” He continued: “The absence of them has been since circa early millennium because the farmer that loaned the last lot moved away from the area. “As a rural church in a rural setting, we should be as simple and as close to the natural world as the church is humble. St Wolfrida’s is not a pristine clean town church with pristine clean parishioners, we are whatever the seasons bring – sun, rain, mud and wind – with animals.” Leveraging her expertise as a shepherdess, Ms. Marshall utilized her network to acquire four Ronaldsey sheep, a breed recognized for its propensity to consume weeds. She further detailed the establishment of a ‘flockwatch’ team, comprising 14 individuals, who assist in overseeing the sheep in conjunction with church verger Jackie Lydford. Additionally, the team has benefited from support from the broader church community, which provided tools such as rakes, shears, and strimmers to maintain sections of the church grounds inaccessible to the sheep. Ms. Marshall commented that the team’s contributions were instrumental in the success of the sheep project and fostered a “real community spirit” within Wimborne. She further added: “The sheep have attracted the attention and brought together a Horton community who want to see the survival of the ancient and much loved church, that is being eaten by the deathwatch beetle that threatens its survival.“It’s been a pleasure working with Horton and the Wimborne Villages as a whole, along with Wimborne Minster to support this project.” Readers interested in updates can follow BBC Dorset on Facebook, X (formerly known as Twitter), or Instagram. This material is copyrighted by the BBC in 2024, with all rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for the content of websites external to its own. Further details on the BBC’s policy regarding external links are available.