Charity fund-raising sheep who brings 'rural sunshine to suburbia' (From Kingston Guardian)

Charity fund-raising sheep who brings 'rural sunshine to suburbia'

2:31pm Wednesday 1st August 2012 in News

A well dressed sheep has been identified as a New Malden legend who brings a drop of rural sunshine to suburbia.

The fluffy animal was spotted waiting with his owner for a bus in New Malden High Street wearing a black decorated coat, leather collar and red lead earlier this week.

Onlookers took to Twitter to tell people about the unusual sight, but residents living in Penrith Road, New Malden, said they are used to the sheep and other farm animals wandering along their street.

The sheep’s owner Roger Reynolds wasn’t home.

But Natasha Murray lives with her 11-year-old twin daughters Alex and Izzy next door to the ewe, who they said was called Amy and is the mascot for St George’s Hospital in Tooting.

She said: “We think it’s great. When we first moved here five years ago my daughters were six years old and within an hour of moving in they were giving new born lambs a bottle.

“It’s a bit of the good life. We love it.”

Mrs Murray said Mr Reynolds, is retired but helps out at city farms and the RSPCA and looks after a variety of animals, including sheep, goats and even miniature ponies.

She said: “He is a legend in this street, known by everyone and he is very friendly. He looks after people’s pets when they go away.”

Another neighbour pensioner Shelia Aplin said Roger regularly takes the animals in a trailer parked outside his home for a run in Wimbledon Common.

She said: “It’s lovely. Absolutely smashing. Its rather nice to see. It’s a drop of rural sunshine in New Malden.”

Fran O’Brien, another New Malden resident, said Amy was New Malden’s very famous sheep and had raised thousands of pounds for charity and will take part in a Kingston beer festival in August.