National Screen and Sound Archive of Wales preserves and celebrates the sound and moving image heritage of Wales, making it accessible to a wide range of users for enjoyment and learning. Its film collection reflects every aspect of the nation’s social, cultural and working life across the 20th century, giving a fascinating insight into Welsh filmmaking, both amateur and professional.
This film is part of Free
Seasonal deliveries: hay on a sleigh and milk from Ma
There’s hay for horses in Welshpool snow, and more is used in springtime round chilly lambs, when mothers’ milk is flowing for the new-borns.
From the collection of:
Overview
How fine the trees of Maesmawr Hall, Welshpool, look under a fall of snow. But the Trant children who live on the farm know the animals need particular attention in such weather - they deliver hay by sleigh to the ponies. Once spring arrives, the hay keeps triplet lambs warm as one is fed by bottle, the others suckling whilst the ewe savours a post-birth swede. Calves have arrived and imbibe the white stuff from the cows with gusto. Sheepdog pups wonder where their milk’s got to.
Ion Trant, brought up on Dovea Farm in Tipperary, Ireland, felt strongly that there was an emerging gulf between town and country and welcomed school visits to his farm. He also devised, filmed, edited and scripted the BBC's "Country Close-Up" series for children (1956-62), often featuring his own three. As a result, he was offered work as a freelance cameraman on the BBC's weekly farming programme and he also ventured further afield, travelling as cameraman with sports commentator Max Robertson to the West Indies and with George Cansdale, field naturalist and ex-Superintendent of London Zoo, to Palestine and Israel.