Chloe Lucas
Chloe Lucas always dreamed of expanding her family of Highland cows
A nurse said she wept in delight after a pair of Highland cows she brought to Essex fell pregnant.
Chloe Lucas, 39, gathered a small herd of the animals in Wickford as a way of improving her mental health after the Covid-19 pandemic.
Dreaming of expanding her cattle family-of-five, a bull spent four months with them and proved a hit with the ladies.
Ms Lucas said: “When I was told they were in calf I just felt so content I started crying. I couldn’t believe it, I was so happy.”
She admitted feeling “a bit nervous” about having the bull, but ended up “loving every single second”.
“I always wanted to increase the numbers, but I never thought I’d actually be able to do it,” Ms Lucas added.
Chloe Lucas
The five cows – called Isla, Catriona, Beatrix, Dally and Murphy – all have their own personalities, Ms Lucas said
The cows live at The Hoppy Acre rabbit sanctuary, but have been allowed to graze at three other sites in Billericay and Southend-on-Sea.
People loved visiting the animals and one couple had even got engaged in front of them, Ms Lucas said.
She continued: “It’s been so positive, people have been and they want to come back again. I feel like we’ve created our own community.”
‘Feeling calm’
The Highland enthusiast even made the top three in the British Farming Awards’ farm worker of the year category in 2025.
It is all a far cry from her job at Basildon Hospital, where she has worked for 11 years.
Ms Lucas was signed off for three months during the pandemic after suffering a nervous breakdown due to the trauma she was witnessing.
“It was just horrendous, nobody survived on the ward I was on,” she explained.
“Their loved ones couldn’t come in to say goodbye to them and that had a really big impact on my mental health.”
But she praised her cows for giving her hope again, adding: “When I’m with them I just feel calm.”
Jamie Niblock/BBC
Ms Lucas introduced the BBC to the cows last January
Her love for farming was inspired by watching episodes of Clarkson’s Farm and the BBC’s Countryfile while off work.
She began volunteering on farms in Essex, Norfolk, Kent and Devon and learned how to drive tractors and deliver lambs and calves.
It then became a family affair when she welcomed the Highland cows to Wickford, with various relatives mucking in to help.
“My cows mean the absolute world to me. They are my pride and joy.”