A LADY who showed off her handmade goat coats at an exhibition to benefit mental health charity MIND has raised £460.

Marion White, who has saved and looked after unwanted goats for more than 40 years, decided she wanted to fundraise for MIND’s Taunton and West Somerset branch in memory of her late son Darren, who struggled with mental health issues.

A keen sewer, Marion, who lives at Highampton, has made more than 100 coats for goats — all with a different theme.

The story of her ‘goat coat’ making started seven years ago, after she lost her favourite goat, Jacob. A ‘mascot’ of the Ruby Country Market, Jacob used to attend in his ‘Coat of Many Colours’, which Marion had made with another lady, and Marion would also wear her colourful coat alongside Jacob.

Marion previously told the Post: “When Jacob passed on I did not want any other goat to wear his coat as it was. I thought I would make it look different by sewing a little teddy bear on to it. From this came the idea of making more coats for goats. This was the start of my great adventure!”

Marion held the exhibition at her local village hall last month, accompanied by her most recent rescue — pygmy goat Sally-Ann, who is always happy to model Marion’s creations, and pygmy boy Eddie.

She said she wanted to raise the money for MIND because although Darren never had a chance to be helped in a young persons unit, she hopes other young people might have that chance.

Donations can still be made online at www.justgiving.com/fundraising/goatsincoats