Sheep used to mow nature reserve

Hebridean sheep are renowned for their ruggedness

Four Hebredean sheep are keeping the grassland on Spurn Point trim and tidy.

It is hoped the animals will graze the land and encourage a more diverse habitat.

The sheep have been provided by local schoolchildren as part of a community project.

The area is a nature reserve and the sheep are seen as the most environmentally friendly option.

The four-legged lawnmowers have been provided by Megan, Hollie, Abbie and Emily as part of the Humberside Police Lifestyle project 2009. The annual initiative is designed to get children involved with their local communities.

The girls organised a sponsored beach clean along Spurn Point and with the help of friends and family collected around five tonnes of rubbish.

One of the Little Spurn Rangers, Abbie, 12, from South Cave, said: "It was really hard work but we did it in the end and raised more than £600. When we first saw the sheep we thought they were fabulous."

Andy Gibson from the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, which manages the reserve, said: "The sheep are proving very, popular with visitors, in particular children."

He added: "Many people mistake them for goats, so they're an excellent way of educating people about primitive breeds of stock and what sheep used to look like."

Hebredean sheep are used to living in harsh environments. Their thick woolly coats make them ideal animals for coping with the wind and rain. They also have the added bonus that they are easy to maintain.

The four sheep will not be allowed to roam freely around the peninsula. They will be moved around the land and allowed to graze in large wire pens.

PC Kate Atkins from Humberside Police, one of the judges of the Lifestyle scheme, is impressed by the idea: "It's the most original and unique project that we've had in a long, long time and obviously it's going to be a sustainable project."

The Lifestyle Project has been running 21 years and this summer more than 200 youngsters across the region took part.

Wild grassland is a feature of Spurn Point

The girls are in the Green Scene Award category and are up against four other projects. The winners will receive a mountain bike each donated by the Environment Agency.

PC Atkins thinks the idea could be in with a chance of a prize: "They've got some stiff competition but if we're looking for originality and sustainability then this project ticks all the boxes."

One of the team Abbie said winning is not the most important thing: "I'd like to get a prize but it's not about the winning it's about the taking part. We all think what we've done is really good, it's been fun"

The winner of the Lifestyle Awards 2009 will be announced at a ceremony in November.