A young farmer from Cumbria has been left reeling after his lamb shelter was destroyed by Storm Isha before his dad suffered a heart attack during the clear-up less than 24 hours later.
The Bennett family are well known in the community and are responsible for the running of Augill Castle in Kirkby Stephen.
Last summer they had a party to celebrate 25 years at the castle and everyone joined in to construct a polytunnel for 25-year-old Oliver Bennett after recognising his calling to be a farmer as he 'just loves sheep'
After a successful lambing season in 2023 he was looking forward to welcoming 59 new additions this year however the onset of Storm Isha saw his shelter destroyed in moments.
"Luckily we have a temporary structure that we can use for emergencies however the upcoming lambing season is when the lambs need shelter and to be born safely.
"The risk is hypothermia and without shelter most will die. The insurance doesn't cover this temporary structure and prices for a replacement have increased.
"A company will be needed to construct the tunnel this time around which unfortunately doubles the cost."
The normally fit and healthy 56-year-old collapsed during the clear-up. Thanks to the fast actions of Jo and Lucy, both workers at the castle, Simon's life was able to be saved.
He was flown via air ambulance to the James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough where he was taken into the ICU (Intensive Care Unit) and has now thankfully been moved out.
"We're not quite sure why he had the heart attack yet," Wendy said. "But we were told that only five per cent of people who suffer a massive heart attack such as this survive.
"It goes to show you the importance of knowing CPR and early treatment. Jo, who is also a carer, administered CPR quickly and Lucy, who has been with us for ten years, rushed to get the defibrillator. Without these, he may not have survived.
"He's thankfully been moved out of ICU and he's alert and chatting to us. He has developed pneumonia however which has delayed his heart treatment so we're going to have to take it day by day.
"It's been a really difficult time and I'm just keeping the business going at the moment.
"The community has really come together to help and we'd just like to thank everybody for their support and the family is eternally grateful to Jo and Lucy."
The page has stressed how young farmers are 'few and far between' and how people like Oliver are desperately needed to keep farming alive in the UK.=
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