RECORD BREAKING GRAN'S COLLECTION OF NEARLY 800 SHEEP
RECORD BREAKING GRAN'S COLLECTION OF NEARLY 800 SHEEP HOTSPOT MEDIA – WITH PICS 0121 551 1004 By Katie Thompson A record-breaking baa-rmy gran with a love for sheep has amassed a collection of nearly 800 woolly wonders. Michelle Sullivan shares her modest two bedroom home with 777 different types of ewe-nique sheep items after building up a mammoth flock over the last 17-years. From teddies and ornaments to Beswick china and saucepans, you name it and Michelle has it. She started her collection in 1996 when a friend brought her a Shaun the Sheep footstall for Christmas and ever since then has been hooked on all things sheep related. Now every wall and surface of her home in Erdington, Birmingham, is dominated by sheep. Single mum Michelle, 42, said: “If it is sheep related, I have probably got it. People think I am barmy. It is a great talking point. It is just mad. “I am a big sheep lover. It started off with Shaun the Sheep after I saw the animated film A Close Shave and I just thought he was so cute. “It is quite funny that someone in the middle of Birmingham in a two bedroom house can collect this many sheep.” People all over the world have heard about Michelle’s collection via Facebook and Twitter and as a result has had sheep sent to her from Australia, Canada, Spain and Turkey. In fact Michelle estimates that 60 per cent of her collection has been donated to her. The only part of the house which is untouched by her flocks of sheep is her 24-year-old son’s room Leigh. “He thinks I’m crackers,” she said. “ “Everybody knows me for my love of sheep – the little ones love it.” Her favourite item from the collection is one of her earliest teddy bears as it has been loved by all her nieces and nephews, and more recently by her three-year-old grandson Liam. Her barmy obsession even extends to her pets, with her dog called Shauna and her late duck named Shaun. Michelle, who has a tattoo of a lamb on her arm, is about to enter the record books as
Other great stories
INTIMATE PORTRAITS OF HINDU HOLY MEN
COVERING themselves in ash and face paint, these are the holy men who live their lives away from everyday society .
10 YEAR OLD GIRL REINVENTS HER IDENTITY THROUGH COSPLAY
From foster care to the MAGICAL world of cosplay, a young girl’s dreams become reality after being adopted by a photography loving couple .
FOUR-YEAR-OLD TWIN BOY BELIEVES HE'S A GIRL
A mum from Gloucestershire has accepted her four-year-old twin son’s decision to live full time as a girl - and is now letting him wear a skirt to school .
SPELLBINDING ENGLISH STAR TRAILS
A photographer has captured spellbinding images of stars swirling above the English countryside .
UNDERGROUND CHIC
Full of tired and busy commuters, these underground stations are rarely admired for their architecture or beauty .
ENDANGERED GORILLA BORN AT TWYCROSS ZOO
A proud gorilla mum welcomes her newborn baby western lowland gorilla, a critically endangered species .
REAL LIFE VICTORIAN
A woman has taken her house back in time - by spending £10,000 to transform it into her Victorian dream home .
WOMAN TOO SCARED TO LEAVE HOUSE AFTER HORROR HAIR DYE REACTION
A woman who suffered from an allergic reaction to hair dye that made her face swell to twice its size has been left too scared to leave the house .
EMPTY LONDON UNDERGROUND
USUALLY full to bursting, these London Underground stations stand silent and completely commuter free .
SLEEPING IN THE WILDERNESS
SLEEPING within touching distance of wild African animals might not be everyone's idea of a relaxing break .
HUNGRY GORILLA ENJOYS DINNER
SHOVELLING food into his mouth, this hungry gorilla enjoys a peaceful moment at dinner time .
NEW FLEECE OF LIFE FOR WHEEL CHAIR SHEEP
A disabled sheep is enjoying a new fleece of life after receiving a specially-designed wheelchair .