Sheep return to roof of cinema complex to keep lawn in trim
BBCA cinema complex in Lancashire has come up with a lawn-mowing solution with a difference - by deploying sheep on to its grass-topped roof to help keep it in trim.
The six Dutch spotted sheep belong to Myerscough College but have been moved a mile or two down the road to the Flower Bowl in Preston, which houses a bowling alley, restaurants and sports facilities.
The centre had sheep in previous years but they were moved out for safety reasons during the coronavirus pandemic.
Director Peter Topping said: "We have mown it in the past but we have to carry the small mowing machines up the staircase so it's a lot easier to get the sheep up there and leave them to do their work."
Andrea Gardner, director of farm operations and innovations at the college, she was "so pleased" with how well the animals were doing, as part of a special joint project with the two sites.
The sheep, one of which has been named after BBC Radio Lancashire presenter Sharon Hartley, are kept safe by a five-foot high fence around the perimeter.
They have a wooden shelter and water in a trough that gets refilled with a stopcock.
Topping said the idea of having sheep on their roof came from his brother, the managing director of the centre.
He said they wanted to make the centre as environmentally friendly as possible, with a green roof "insulating the building" and making sure it "blends in with the countryside".
Gardner said the project showed off the sort of work that they do at the college, and was a good example of regenerative farming.
"They're not bothered about being up on a roof, they're quite happily looking around, the fantastic views that they're seeing", she said.
The college is hoping that the five female sheep will produce lambs in the spring.
Listen to the best of BBC Radio Lancashire on Sounds and follow BBC Lancashire on Facebook, X and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.