The journey to Margaret Harkins’ house passes field after field of quietly grazing sheep, their heads all bowed, not looking up from the grass.

They’re also to be found indoors.

On the table in Margaret’s dining room there are six more sheep. On a small tool, unnoticed at first, another two are crouching.

And in a room just off her kitchen, in bold contrast, sit two Highland cattle.

The indoor animals aren’t real ones of course – though like real sheep they have coats of wool.

Margaret, 73, has been creating animal-shaped doorstops since January of last year.

A few of them are Highland cattle, but she declares: “I’m known for my sheep.”

Each one is slightly different, and each is individualised with its own name.

But they’re all made by hand and each one contains stuffing and a small bag of sand, making them heavy enough to hold open a door.

They’re all rather charming, and come in an array of colours. It’s hard to see them and not want to take one home – which is probably why they sell almost as quickly as she can make them.

“People will want purple ones, green ones, orange ones,” Margaret says, in her Irish accent. “I prefer them sheep-coloured.”

Margaret knits one body a day while a team of 12 helpers knit the others. She then puts them together, filling them and attaching the heads and faces.

She’s completed an estimated 800 so far. She’s considering stopping when she reaches the 1,000 mark.

They cost £15 each, demand for them is very high and so far they’ve raised £10,000. But it doesn’t go to Margaret. All the money goes to a good cause: Hospice at Home West Cumbria.

The sheep doorstops have become a significant component of their ongoing fundraising efforts.

Margaret was born and brought up in Donegal in the Republic of Ireland, as her speaking voice makes clear, and spent most of her working life in Northern Ireland.

When she and her husband Terry retired 20 years ago they decided to settle back in Terry’s home area of west Cumbria, and found a house in Crosscanonby, near Maryport.

On a clear day the sea is visible from her home – as well as more fields of sheep.

Hospice at Home will have a special significance for Terry and Margaret.

When Terry was diagnosed with cancer the outlook wasn’t hopeful. Doctors expected him to have about 18 months.

But that was six years ago and he’s now 81. When the time eventually does come, he’d like to be at home, and Hospice at Home is dedicated to allowing people to do so rather than enter a hospital or hospice that might be many miles away, particularly in a large, dispersed area like west Cumbria.

“We will need the service in the future,” she points out.

Margaret has helped the charity in various ways over the years, selling the likes of home-made jam, scones or plants. The sheep came later.

There were regular fundraising events in the village hall at Crosby, but towards the end of 2017, Hospice at Home held a larger, one-off fair at Hunday Manor Hotel in Workington. “Six sheep sold within 20 minutes,” she says.

“Afterwards we talked about how well they did and I decided to concentrate on sheep, and let somebody else do the scones and jam.”

It’s become a bit of a full-time job. “I often start at about half seven in the morning. I have two or three hours before Terry gets up. I try to complete four to six a day.”

Yet Margaret has always been creative and it’s always been part of her life. “My old grandmother was always knitting and always sewing.

“I don’t remember starting. It’s like asking: ‘When did you learn to walk?’”

Sheep are only part of it. She’s done all kinds of needlework, including the tapestries that decorate the dining room and the covers for the stools.

And a neighbour’s fascination with her work led to the needlework sessions she used to run in the village.

The neighbour was in Margaret’s house once, admiring her work, and Margaret recalls: “She asked: ‘Did you do that?’

“I told her I could teach her to do some tapestry, and then she asked if her sister could join

us. Eventually all the ladies in the village joined.

“There were about 12 of us. We met once a week, taking it in turns to host it in our houses. Everybody was working on something. There was knitting, crocheting, cross stitch.

“Terry said: ‘All they do is sit and gossip!’ But you can gossip and knit at the same time.”

Nowadays the sheep have rather taken over.

They’re currently on sale from the coffee shop at Moota Garden Centre near Cockermouth, the village shop in Lorton, Ennerdale Brewery in Rowrah and The Crafty Workshop in Workington.

They’re also available by phoning Hospice at Home on 01900 873173.

“I sold the first Highland cows I made at Moota,” Margaret recalls. “I got a phone call later, saying: ‘They sold out three minutes after you left the shop. Could we please have some more?’

“They’ve sold another 12 this week, cows and sheep. It’s crazy.”

Prince Charles, who is patron of Hospice at Home, received one for his 70th birthday in November, and Margaret received a thank-you letter from Clarence House.

Others have gone to Australia and America and back to relatives in Donegal.

And many were snapped up as Christmas presents. “I thought it would ease off after Christmas, but it hasn’t.”

Once she reaches the 1,000 mark Margaret will probably continue to make the odd sheep, but says: “I would like to wind down.

“If there’s anyone out there who would like to take over I would be happy to hear from them.”

But she knows it will be impossible to shake off the creative bug.

“I’ll still do bits and pieces,” she reckons. “I couldn’t just walk away and say: ‘No more.’ That’s the problem!”

But she stresses that it’s not all down to her.

“I’m really grateful for all the people who help,” she adds. “I couldn’t do it all on my own.”