LITTLE Bo Peep has lost her sheep — and she wants you to find them.

Joyce Herdson, from Radcliffe, has taken on the role of the popular nursery rhyme favourite by hand-making a number of toy sheep, which she is leaving in different locations to highlight the importance of organ donation.

They could be "lost" in Bolton town centre, at The Macron Stadium or even as far away as Canada.

Mrs Herdson, aged 51, hopes that people who find the cute toys will log on to the Lost Sheep Facebook page to upload a photo of where the teddies have been found before joining the organ donor register.

The mother-of-two, of Irwell Street, Radcliffe, came up with the idea when she was learning to knit while she was recovering from a life-saving double lung transplant last year.

Mrs Herdson said: "While I was recovering from the operation I was having trouble concentrating and struggled to read, so I started knitting and found I could follow the patterns.

"As I was making something I had this idea to make little sheep and lose them in places so that people can learn about the importance of signing up to the organ donor register.

"At first we put them just in the Bolton and Bury area, but now we're trying to get the sheep as far away from here as possible.

"We've recently managed to get one over to Chicago and another to Monte Carlo."

Mrs Herdson was diagnosed with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis, a rare and incurable condition which causes scarring of the lungs, and was given between two-and-a-half and five years to live in October 2012.

She said: "I was very lucky because I received my operation just in time.

"It was hard at first but I am recovering well.

"The family of the person whose lungs I received made a very selfless decision to donate his organs, which brought light into mine and my family's lives.

"We want to spread the word and promote awareness of organ donation. I thought it would be good to give something back."

To find out more, visit facebook.com/HomeforLostSheep and thelostsheep.org.uk.

The Bolton News' own campaign, Sign up to Save Lives, has so far encouraged more than 3,000 people to sign the donor register.