Animal Magic

Hannah Russell tells us about Swinton Green, her exciting new visitor centre in Masham obody could accuse Hannah Russell of resting on her laurels – or of using hardship as an excuse for taking it easy.

Many Dales Life readers will be familiar with Hannah as the author of the ‘Little Alf’ children’s books. In the series she recounts the exploits, real and imaginary, of the diminutive Miniature Shetland pony she adopted at the age of 16 when she was recovering from the trauma of the riding accident that dashed her dreams of becoming a riding instructor.

Hannah wrote her first ‘Little Alf’ book the following year. Since then she has not only launched a number of business initiatives – including interior design and fashion ventures – but also travelled the world as a motivational speaker and charity ambassador. But now she has a bold new project: Swinton Green, an animal-themed visitor centre a stone’s throw from the luxurious Swinton Park hotel and spa near Masham.

Like the ‘Little Alf’ books, the Swinton Green project was prompted by an episode of ill health. In 2020 Hannah was diagnosed with cancer. A series of gruelling operations, radiotherapy sessions and other treatments followed. She has been in remission since last year, but the experience prompted her to reevaluate her priorities.

Furry Friends

“It put life into perspective,” says Hannah, “and made me realise that I wanted to spend a lot more time with my animals. For years now I have dreamed of having a visitor centre where people could connect with them, and now everything seems to have fallen into place. In a chance conversation with the Swinton Estate we heard about an eight-acre smallholding that was coming up for rent. We sold the family house and my mum, dad and I moved in last summer.”

Swinton Green is very much a family enterprise, with Hannah’s gardening enthusiast father in charge of looking after the plants, her artist mother designing the outdoor areas, and her brother John helping out when he’s not too busy elsewhere.

But already Swinton Green’s humans are vastly outnumbered by the smallholding’s animal residents. As well as the 28-inch-high Little Alf there are two other Miniature Shetlands, along with six Valais Blacknose sheep, four Pygmy goats, five chickens, two rabbits, a guinea pig and four dogs. When we spoke to Hannah, three alpacas were due to arrive within days, and there was also a tortoise on the way (presumably at a rather more leisurely pace).

The opportunity to meet literary celebrity Little Alf will undoubtedly be a big draw for social-media-savvy Hannah’s 12,000 Twitter followers, but there are plenty more activities and experiences planned for Swinton Green visitors – in fact Hannah has no shortage of ideas for different ways to engage the public.

Alpaca walking is likely to be a particularly popular activity, says Hannah. “People will be able to come along and meet the alpacas, put them on halters and walk them through our wildflower meadows, meeting our other resident animals along the way. And don’t worry, alpacas are much friendlier and less temperamental than llamas!”

Caring And Sharing

Hannah is also planning to run a wide range of workshops, including animal husbandry sessions aimed at smallholders who are just starting up or who want to hone their skills. Whether it’s chickens, goats, sheep, alpacas or horses, Hannah, a qualified course leader, will be able to explain how to care for them.

Valais Blacknose sheep, a cute and engagingly fluffy rare breed originating from Switzerland, are one of Hannah’s special interests. They have very specific care requirements – dealing with their long curly hair being one obvious issue – and Hannah is planning to share her expertise in managing the breed with other enthusiasts.

Valais Blacknose sheep are notably friendly, and evidently very intelligent too. Hannah has her original pair, Izzy and Ida, impressively well drilled, having taught them using the same clicker training method often employed by dog trainers.

Hannah isn’t neglecting the insect world either. A tropical butterfly house is scheduled to open by June, and eventually Hannah is hoping to run beekeeping courses too.

Plant lovers will also be catered for at Swinton Green. Hannah has already run her first terrarium workshop in the cosy on-site wooden cabin. The session proved a big hit, and is likely to become a regular feature.

Hannah is clearly fizzing with ideas for Swinton Green, and by the time you read this she may well have had several more. When we last interviewed her for Dales Life her advice to budding young Dales business folk was to “be upbeat, and focus on the positive.” It’s clearly an attitude that has helped her achieve an impressive amount already – and we can’t wait to see what she goes on to do in the future! Swinton Green will open in late spring; for more details visit swintongreen.co.uk. For information about Hannah and Little Alf, as well as Hannah’s online shop and links to Hannah’s social media streams, visit hannahlittlealfandfriends.com