A GROUP of rescue Jersey cows from a sanctuary near Cleobury Mortimer are to front a new cattle welfare awareness campaign.

The six cows, affectionately known as ‘The Jersey Boys’, based at Goodheart Farm Animal Sanctuary in Milson were selected by ‘free from’ pudding company Pudology to be the face of the ‘#pamperedcow’ initiative.

It is hoped the campaign will raise awareness of welfare amongst Jersey cattle as well as highlighting the work the sanctuary does.

The Jersey Boys were removed from their mothers shortly after birth and sent to a veal-rearing farm before being rescued and taken in by the sanctuary.

Their first few days were touch and go, as they were so weak and the weather was cold and wet.

Dave Bourne, the Sanctuary Manager, built them a den in the barn with a deep straw bed and the team made up bottles in order to feed them every few hours.

To help keep them warm, they wore special calf jackets while on cold winter nights, they were brought into the house for extra warmth.

As well as the campaign, Pudology has launched a competition to name the calves across their social media channels, as well as encouraging people to donate to the sanctuary.

Pudology founder Lucy Wager said: “We’re not only passionate about making the best free-from puddings, we also have many vegan customers who don't eat dairy for ethical reasons.

“We wanted to find a light-hearted way to communicate what is also a serious message and we thought what better way to do this than to work with the very animals at the heart of our message.

“Our campaign is literally encouraging people to "give cows a break".

“The Jersey Boys represent the lucky few. Jersey cows are revered for their high quality milk, but as male calves don’t produce milk, they typically have short lives.

“Many are shot at birth or reared for veal meat. These six are testament to the work Goodheart Farm Animal Sanctuary does, giving a loving home to the animals they care for.”

Mr Bourne added: “The boys have such mischievous personalities and are very friendly, so we're not surprised they were selected for this campaign.

“The only thing they are now missing are names. It was great when Pudology approached us as we rely on donations to keep the good work going.

“The Jersey Boys are so handsome, we're sure they are going to get lots of attention!”

People can find out more about the campaign and naming competition by visiting facebook.com/pg/pudology.