A volunteer shepherd keeps an eye on the National Trust’s rare breed flock that winters at Snape Warren, Suffolk, until it’s time to head home to Orford Ness and graze the summer pastures. That shepherd is Peter Fowler, who I recently had the privilege of photographing out in the landscape he loves.
Peter is a true National Trust veteran. For some twenty years across the 1980s and 90s he served on the Northumbria Regional committee, various headquarters’ committees and the Council. Peter told me: “The most interesting was the Properties committee, where we had the privilege of visiting, for management purposes, existing properties, and, best of all, potential properties. One of the latter was Orford Ness to which, slightly furtively I seem to recall, a small party of us sailed across to make an assessment. This was long before it had occurred to most people, that the departure of the MoD had created a possible Trust property of great historical interest, as well as its known values as a National Nature Reserve. It never crossed my mind at the time that one day I would have the added privilege of looking after Rare Breeds sheep who live there.”
Isn’t it funny how life often comes full circle? Peter’s dedication to nature is something to admire.
Speak to anyone who has recently retired and they’ll tell you the same thing: they’ve never been busier. The same goes for Peter, who counts writing, painting and watching the Suffolk coast erode among his pastimes, when the sheep aren’t at Snape.
We had perfect light for this shoot and I’m proud of how the images turned out. Sometimes the forecast gets it right. My thanks to Peter for letting me take his photograph. I hope to see more of him, and hear more of his stories, soon.
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