Woman, 54, buys mountain, plants ¼ million trees - International Women’s Day

For #InternationalWomensDay we get to hear from a passionate environmentalist, who went from finding bats in chimneys to buying an entire mountain! Sally Phillips, owner of Chimney Sheep, worked for Natural England as an ecologist specialising in bat and owl surveys, and it was while ducking down to look up chimneys, where she found a literal gap in the market for woollen chimney plugs. 

Using the success of her business Sally acquired a 7 acre site, then a 13 acre site, and now has 160 acres in the Lake District! 

“For years and years I signed petitions, went on demonstrations, donated money, wrote to politicians, went to meetings and talked to like-minded people with whom I did more climate actions but it never felt like I was achieving anything. This way, I can circumvent the politicians and the policy makers and just get on with things.” 

To find out more about Sally and her incredible journey towards buying a mountain and beyond, head here