A COW called Lovely Lesson has given her stamp of approval to a new Royal Mail collection celebrating traditional and rare breeds of animals in the UK.

The five-year-old cow, which belongs to the shorthorn breed, posed alongside her owner's daughter at their farm at Brafferton, near Darlington.

Ten-year-old Allison Swinbank also appeared in the picture to launch the limited edition collection of ten first class stamps.

Allison's parents, Tony and Janice, keep a herd of 17 beef shorthorns at their farm.

Darlington was chosen for the launch because of the town's long association with the shorthorn breed.

Pioneering brothers Charles and Robert Colling produced the legendary bull Comet at their farm in Ketton, in 1804, from which the Shorthorn breed developed. Comet was later sold for a record 1,000 guineas.

The association is commemorated in the bull's head on Darlington's coat of arms.

The Swinbank's farm is near where the Colling brothers produced their famous bull.

Mrs Swinbank said Lovely Lesson was a fine example of the breed and a credit to its famous ancestor.

She said: "Cows can be quite photogenic if you picture them at the right angle. To be honest though, she only made it into the picture because she was in the front field when they came to do the photo. Still, it's a little bit of fame for her."

The family has kept shorthorns for four years, although the farm has been in the family for four generations.

Mrs Swinbank said: "We've always kept cows, but the trend in recent years has been towards more traditional breeds. Shorthorns are very good animals, very attractive and they produce excellent beef."

The new stamps also feature rare and traditional breeds of pigs, horses, dogs, sheep, goats and birds. The set is available in a presentation pack featuring information on the breeds, many of them hundreds of years old.