Hannah’s life growing up was surrounded by animals, it was obvious from an early age she was going to be horsey mad, simply from donkey rides she adored at the beach when visiting family in Scarborough. At six years old she got her first pony ‘Badger’ and the love for animals didn’t stop there, living in the Dales she was surrounded by a strong farming community and family who were all based in the agricultural industry. From feeding newborn lambs, walking the family dogs and pony riders her ambition for animals and the outdoors thrived, being outside with the animals allowed her to appreciate the beauty of the landscape and the lifestyle that accompanied it which you can see in many of Hannah’s business to this day.

 

When it comes to an assortment of animals, Hannah certainly doesn’t shy away from a large herd, with a list of encompassed sheep, horses, chickens, dogs, rabbits, fish, goats and guinea pigs which are all reside at her home in Yorkshire, most of Hannah’s work centres heavily within the animal kingdom.

 

Walking hand in hand with Hannah’s love for nature was her entrepreneurial flair. Since the age of seventeen, Hannah has always held a keen eye for original ventures and distinct ideas. From the creation of her books ‘Hannah, Little Alf and friends’ to organising charity campaigns her career has seen Hannah flourish in different sectors.

 

Hannah’s first become an author at 17 after her miniature Shetland pony Little Alf came to live with her, he came at a time when she was at a low ebb and looking for a new focus after discovering she had injuries to her back meaning she couldn’t pursue her career as a riding instructor. Little Alf stands at just 28 inches high due to him having dwarfism, the dwarfism means that Little Alf’s features are extra small, he has tiny ears, tiny hooves and because of his size when he came to live with Hannah he needed a little extra love and care. They both gave each other a new focus; many say they where meant to be.

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Over the years Little Alf has become a well known character online and within the publishing world with over 16 best selling books published about him and a merchandise range the pair have gone from strength to strength, in recent years the brand has moved in to featuring Hannah’s other animals and the name ‘Hannah, Little Alf and friends’ was formed.

 

Each month they get millions of views online and Hannah finds inspiration from all her animals which you can watch online via her social channels and networks.

 

Not just books…

 

As a spirited female inside the business industry, Hannah hasn’t just wrote books, she’s gone on to start a few different business adventures, working with home interiors, conservation projects and launching a fashion brand.

 

Little Alf really helped open up her entrepreneur spirit and in 2018 she opened her first shop ‘Russell home interiors’ which she ran for just over 4 years, in 2022 she made the choice to move on from the shop and work more closely with her animals and wildlife projects.

 

In 2020 Hannah was diagnosed with sarcoma cancer putting a lot of her business on hold for a few years, after operations and treatment she was back on the right track for 2022 and since then she has gone on to raise awareness for Sarcoma cancer and launched a t-shirt campaign to raise funds for Sarcoma UK.

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During Hannah's time of having Cancer treatment, Izzy & Ida, came to live with Hannah, two Valais blacknose sheep. They are a rare breed sheep and are often described as the 'Cutest sheep' in the world. Hannah fell in love with the breed and started her own pedigree flock which are know as 'Hannah Russell Valais' 

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In 2022 Hannah moved house from one part of the Yorkshire Dales to another part and can now be found at 'Swinton Green' at 'Swinton Estate'  which opened in June 2023.