World Biosphere Day: Anna Kerruish

UNESCO has declared 3rd November ‘International Day for Biosphere Reserves'. We are meeting some of the people who make our Biosphere special and speaking to them about their contribution to it and how it inspires them.

Name:

Anna Kerruish

Role:

Sheep farmer

Organisation (if applicable):

Ballafayle, Maughold.

How does living and working in a UNESCO Biosphere inspire you?

I’m incredibly lucky to live and work in Maughold. I’m an early riser and living on the east coast get to see some stunning sunrises. I enjoy being in nature all day and closely observing the change in the seasons; the 1st snowdrop and the promise of grass growth, arrival of swallows at lambing time, the return of the curlews to wintering ground on our shore fields and snacking on blackberries through September.

What do you gain from being involved in your Biosphere?

I’d really like to see our Biosphere status used more widely to promote sustainably reared high welfare Manx beef and lamb, primarily grass fed on family farms.

How would you encourage others to get involved in the Biosphere, too?

We can all promote and enhance our Biosphere by sharing photos on social media, becoming a Biosphere partner, or by volunteering with organisations like Beach Buddies and The Woodland Trust.

What’s your favourite natural place in the Biosphere and why?

Maughold. Beautiful beaches and glens, heather clad hills, quiet roads, internationally significant stone crosses, Neolithic burial sites.

What’s the one thing visitors to the Biosphere should experience and enjoy, and why? Can be a location, activity, cultural experience, food, etc.

Chapel Hill is a really interesting place. Mesolithic remains, Iron Age hill fort, Bronze Age grave, Viking ship burial and early Christian Keill all on one small site. So many layers of history; this was an important site for thousands of years.

Sum up what Biosphere means to you in one word?

Sustainability.