Not many people speak the old Cumbrian dialect anymore, but if you ask a grizzled old Cumbrian shepherd to count to six, he will reply with: "yan, tan, tethera, methera, pip, sethera", so no prizes for guessing how many of Reece Ingram's wooden sheep were sited on the Ridding Wood Trail (although in some parts of the county, 'bothera' is used for six). Made in 1998 and built to last, they are still going strong. They have, however, been struck by that curious practice of jamming coins into the cracks in wood, which seems to be an increasingly common occurrence on woodland walks these days. I'm still waiting for the day when I find a rolled-up twenty-pound note in a fallen oak.

​

A former taxidermist, Ingram says of his work on his website:

​

"The main subjects of his art are animals and natural forms, where his interest lies in form, mass, weight and the tactile nature of these themes and forms.

Reece would also like to express a sense of the inner self, simple contentment, not wanting, not striving, just being."

​

Also by this artist:

Tread Quietly Into That Good Night 1998

Waymarkers 1998