AN enthusiastic keeper of award winning rare breed sheep in south Pembrokeshire is 16 year old Rhys Jenkins of Londonderry Farm, Jeffreyston, Kilgetty.

Presently he has a breeding flock of just 17 Hill Radnor - including two rams - a hill breed that is usually considered to be larger and bulkier than the traditional Welsh Mountain.

The Hill Radnor was developed as far back as 1911 to suit the terrain of mid Wales and is probably typical of the old Welsh tan-faced sheep that used to roam the hills.

Ewes are polled - rams are horned –both with a distinctive tan face with an aquiline nose and the breed as a whole produce a thick white fleece.

As with the Welsh Mountain there is a market for older (draft) ewes being sold from the hills and used for a couple of seasons on lowland farms. The Hill Radnor has some distinct advantages over the Welsh Mountain for use as a lowland ewe: the breed is larger, is more prolific and is known for being easier to shepherd.

The Hill Radnor breed suffered a significant setback during the foot and mouth cull of 2001 as the majority of the animals were concentrated on the Welsh and English borders which were particularly affected.

The Rare Breeds Survival Trust is the leading national charity working to conserve and protect the United Kingdom's rare native breeds of farm animals from extinction. The Trust relies on the support of its members together with grants and donations from the public to raise the £700,000 each year needed to maintain its conservation work with rare UK native breeds of farm animals.