Yorkshire Shepherdess helps boost Yorkshire Air Ambulance Christmas card sales

A starring role on one of Yorkshire Air Ambulance’s Christmas cards has seen the Yorkshire Shepherdess Amanda Owen help raise more than £1,650 for the rapid-response emergency service recently.
A starring role on one of Yorkshire Air Ambulances (YAA) Christmas cards, has seen the Yorkshire Shepherdess Amanda Owen help raise over £1,650 for the rapid-response emergency service recently.A starring role on one of Yorkshire Air Ambulances (YAA) Christmas cards, has seen the Yorkshire Shepherdess Amanda Owen help raise over £1,650 for the rapid-response emergency service recently.
A starring role on one of Yorkshire Air Ambulances (YAA) Christmas cards, has seen the Yorkshire Shepherdess Amanda Owen help raise over £1,650 for the rapid-response emergency service recently.

Captured in watercolours and gouache by Harrogate-based artist Anita Bowerman, the unique Christmas card, featured in a series of four which were designed by Anita for the YAA.

Aptly named The Yorkshire Shepherdess, the card depicts Amanda tending to her flock of sheep on the snowy Yorkshire Dales while one of the YAA helicopters hovers above.

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Amanda said: “It was a real honour to feature in one of Anita’s beautiful cards for the YAA. She captured the scene so well.

“I was blown away with the popularity of the card, but so pleased that they have sold so well, to help raise as much money as possible for this fantastic charity.

“Some of the money I’ve been able to donate also includes donations that lovely people from all over the place send me too – people are so very generous.

“Living so remotely, we know the true value and importance of the YAA, although fortunately we’ve never had to call on their services yet.”

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Farmer Amanda, 43, is also a writer, photographer, public speaker and mother-of-nine.

She lives with her husband Clive and their family at Ravenseat in Upper Swaledale - one of the highest, most remote hill farms in England.

Anita has been an artist for more than 20 years and paints around the picturesque Yorkshire countryside and in her beautiful Victorian art studio.

Her original art includes paintings, paper cuts and stainless steel artworks.

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Anita started working with the YAA in 2016 after donating one of her paper cuts for a charity art exhibition. Since then she has created a series of notelets, limited edition prints and Christmas cards for the charity.

Anita added: “It was a real privilege to paint Amanda and her flock for one of the YAA’s Christmas cards. Amanda is a real inspiration, and to be able to capture her in the painting was truly magical.”

The YAA sell a series of Christmas cards each year, with the profits from the cards being donated straight back to the charity to help raise the £12,000 needed each day to keep both of the helicopters in the air and helping to save lives.

Lin Stead, Regional Fundraiser for the YAA also added “Our Christmas cards have grown in popularity over the last few years since Anita starting designing them for us, however people have gone crazy for them this year, especially for Amanda’s Yorkshire Shepherdess card. We couldn’t sell them fast enough! I’d like to thank both Anita and Amanda for their support and for such a fantastic amount of money raised.”

Anyone wishing to get organised in advance of Christmas 2019 can buy Anita’s cards from the YAA website - click here to have a look.