South Yorkshire Times, May 16th, 1970
Loraine Hasn’t A Lamb – But She Has Lenora!
The famous nursery rhyme “Mary had a Little Lamb” has nothing on nine-years-old Loraine Varney, youngest daughter of Coun. and Mrs. Bernard Varney of 68, Garden Drive, Brampton. Animal-mad Loraine has what amounts almost to a private zoo, and her latest acquisition is a goat.
From being a toddler Loraine has shown great love and affection for animal life, though no-one else in the family has that inclination She has tended and cared for strays which have made their way into her life, and spends most of her spending money buying pets and foodstuffs on which to feed them.
At present she has a cat, tadpoles and a hamster. Last week-end she drew £5 from her savings to buy the goat she had so badly wanted. She also had dogs, rabbits and guinea pig.
Bed of Straw
Immediately after going out to buy the goat – she at first named it Len, but after further investigation decided it had to be changed to Lenora – she went to a local farmer to buy a bale of straw with which she made a “bed” in an outhouse at her home. She puts the goat “out to grass” in the back garden and her father says it is cheaper than buying a lawn mower!
Loraine’s real ambition is to have a pony, but in the meantime she has “settled” for a goat. She looks after it herself and makes sure it is comfortable.
Every day on leaving for Brampton Ellis School, Loraine takes several slices of bread to feed animals on the way. Her mother, Mrs. Margaret Varney, has just realised why her weekly shopping bill is a little more than she always anticipates. This is because when they go self-service shopping, Loraine always puts in the basket a box of lump sugar.
“I could never understand why she did this because she does not drink tea, but now I have discovered that she gets the sugar so that she can feed a horse in a field on her way to school,” she says.
Says her father “Whatever Loraine puts in the ground grows and blossoms. She planted some rose trees which came on marvellously. I planted two dozen rose trees and get only one which flowered.”