THE legacy of a passionate sheep farmer who founded a national event in her home district will live on in 2021 and beyond.

The Tyne Valley was rocked by the sudden death of former Blanchland farmer Rachel Lumley, at the age of just 37, in August.

Love Lamb Week, the event she had created to great effect back in 2015, went ahead in September, with praise and tributes for Rachel from prominent figures in the industry.

In creating the week-long campaign, Rachel wanted to give lamb the attention it deserved, to focus on emphasising the nutritional benefits of lamb and its unique role in sustainable meat production.

The National Sheep Association said Rachel was the driving force behind the campaign's initial launch, and that her leadership caught the attention of the world's top chefs, as well as national press and broadcast media.

The NSA'S chief executive Phil Stocker said Rachel did a "fantastic job" and that the organisation would be proud to continue building on her legacy.

Rachel was educated at Hexham's Queen Elizabeth High School before attending Harper Adams University in Shropshire.

She was an active and popular member of both Whitley Chapel and Northumberland Young Farmers' organisations.

An experienced wool handler, she was appointed secretary of the English Shearing Circuit in 2015, and was one of Northumberland County Show's chief shearing stewards.

Although she spent much of her life in the Tyne Valley, in recent years she lived in Penrith with her partner, John and their young daughter, Francesca.

In 2017, she represented England at the World Shearing and Woolhandling Championships, held in New Zealand.