Hayley is 14, she attended Estates That Educate for the first time in 2022. Not knowing what she wanted to do, she fell in love with the sheep after learning about them in the demonstrations. Her foster carers then got in touch to see if Hayley could gain further experience. She came onto an estate to assist with the shearing in the summer. Hayley then got herself a part time job so she could save money to start her own flock. She came back onto the estates to help with lambing and has been gifted two sheep.
She has discovered something she really cares about and that has motivated her to work towards a goal. Hayley gets up at 6.30am before school each day to feed them. When she isn’t looking after the lambs or at school, Hayley can be found watching The Sheep Game on YouTube for tips on livestock care. She’s 14, driven, ambitious, kind, caring and wants to learn. She’s young, passionate and wants to pursue a career as a shepherdess. Someone of her age should be celebrated as an ambassador of the countryside to encourage more youngsters - they are the next generation.
Hayley has been through a complete transformation over the past 12 months. She just fell in love with lambs and sheep when she was at Hunthill last year and began reading all about sheep farming. She hadn’t really been a keen reader before. She has discovered something she really cares about and that has motivated her to work towards a goal. This is the thing she has been most excited about for years. She then found a part time job at Dundee United FC to save up enough money to look after lambs of her own. She spends her weekends on the estates helping the shepherding team to gain more experience. Her foster carers, Alison and Ron Yates, built a pen in the back garden for her lambs, Bonnie and Blossom.