A FAMILY of farmers have sold their prized cow for £5,000 and donated all of the money to support Ukrainian refugees.

The Salers Cow, named Ukraine, was born on the day that Russia invaded and was bought with the purpose of raising her, selling her on in her prime and donating the money she made to charity.

After speaking with Forth Valley Welcome, a charity that supports refugees in the Stirlingshire and Clackmannanshire areas, the farmers decided to donate all of the money to them and support the work that they do.

Laura Johnstone, Forth Valley manager, told the Advertiser: "We are a service that supports refugees who are resettled in Stirlingshire and Clackmannanshire.

"We do lots of support around English language, we have home visitors that do befriending and we provide material needs and other support for people when they come over.

"We were approached by farmers Gill and Malcolm Pye, of Rednock Salers, who are based in the Port of Menteith, and they were really moved by everything that they were hearing about Ukrainian refugees and really wanted to do something.

"They came across a cow that was born on the day that Russia invaded Ukraine so they decided to buy this cow and name it Ukraine.

"The idea was that they would sell it when it was at its best and any money that they raised would be given to charity to support Ukrainians.

"It turns out that Ukraine was a wonderful cow and they were taking her to lots of shows and winning championships."

Ukraine is a Salers Cow, a breed that is well known for its size, easy calving and strong maternal instincts, and she has become a prized heifer thanks to her exceptional attributes.

She was sold for £5,000 in Castle Douglas at the Salers Premier Sale on Saturday, November 4.

Laura continued: "She went for sale on Saturday and sold for £5,000 so it was a lovely thing to watch my first cattle market knowing that £5,000 was coming to help us support refugees."

This truly generous donation will make a world of difference for the refugees supported by Forth Valley Welcome.

Laure added: "The thing was that when they contacted us two months ago they already knew at that point that she was likely to sell for £4,000 or more, so it wasn’t even like the amount that’s come from her sale was a surprise to them and they regret not keeping it themselves.

"They just really wanted to do something and do it in a way that might encourage other people to support the refugees."

Gill Pye, one of the owners of Rednock Salers, was delighted that Salers Cattle Society UK waived their society levy and the team at Wallets Marts waived their sale fees.

She added: “It was lovely to meet Laura and Hugh from Forth Valley Welcome and Yuliia and her son who are from Ukraine when they visited the farm to see Rednock Ukraine first hand!”

For more information on Forth Valley Welcome, visit their website. Anyone wishing to support the charity through volunteering, donations or partnerships should contact Laura by emailing manager@forthvalleywelcome.org