Tributes have been paid to a vibrant character in rural north Cumbria who gained national recognition during the foot and mouth crisis.

Moira Linaker, a lover of animals and a fierce defender of those who have been wronged, may have been small in height but she was large in heart - a figure who will be sorely missed by those who knew her.

Moira, 79, passed away on November 2 at the Cumberland Infirmary after a long battle with illness.

She moved to Warwick Bridge in 1996 after living in Oxford and Tyneside. Her later years were spent at Scaleby hill.

Whilst living in Tyneside, Moira helped to set-up a charity, the Tyneside Cyrenians, which provided shelter and food for homeless men.

Her love affair with animals truly began when she bought her smallholding in Warwick Bridge and then went on to buy 15 lambs because she didn’t want them to be sent to slaughter.

She was a vibrant character who gained national fame in 2001 when a photo of her clutching a lamb was used by newspapers across the UK.

The iconic photo was taken as the Foot and Mouth crisis took hold across the country and farmers were having to cull their cows and sheep to prevent further outbreak.

When Moira’s beloved rare-breed Ryeland sheep were caught in a 3km culling zone in Warwick Bridge, she put her foot down and refused to back down.

Charles Linaker, Moira’s husband, said: “She had tremendous guts, spirit, and determination.

“She often used to say ‘I’ll not be beat’.”

Her sheep had not been infected by the virus so she didn’t see any need to enforce the culling order.

“Moira thought ‘no, stuff this, I’m not letting mine go’,” Charles added. “I think that is because she had a particular bond with them.”

So, she fought hard to protect the Ryelands and her other breeds of sheep from slaughter.

Charles laughed as he recounted an incident when a vet from the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs tried to perform a check-up on the sheep.

“He tried to take blood from one of Moira’s ewes and he made such a mess, there was blood all over the place,” he said.

“Moira was absolutely hopping mad, she was furious.”

The vet said he was going to attempt to take blood from another sheep, Moira suggested he leave before she got a gun, which didn’t exist, and made him leave.

It was this ferocity and courage that earned her the nickname “the Rottweiler” by those who knew her.

On the off-chance he might respond to her, Moira contacted the office of His Royal Highness Prince Charles for support during the Foot and Mouth crisis as he was the patron of the Rare Breed Survival Trust.

This led to regular contact with his assistant private secretary and a letter of support from the Prince.

She wasn’t intimidated by those in power.

Charles recalled a time where she stood up to Robert Maxwell when her son Stephen, who sadly passed away in 2000, was told that workers at a printing company would not be receiving a Christmas bonus that year.

She managed to get through to Maxwell and ensured that the staff would receive their bonus.

“Moira had always been someone who was not going to be put off by somebody who was apparently very powerful,” he remarked.