Former marketing student Amy Gray has brought together her love of goats with the social media skills learned on her degree course to create a global hit for Bournemouth.

Together with ex-law student Nez Habib, the 23-year-old started an Instagram page dedicated to the goats on the resort’s East Cliff.

Little did they know that the page would reach thousands of goat lovers across the world with 30 per cent of the views coming from the United States, alone.

As at February 23, the number of Instagram followers stood at 4,180 with some posts attracting up to 715 ‘likes’.

Amy, pictured, who received a First Class Honours degree in marketing at Bournemouth University before going on to study her Masters, said: “It’s just been amazing.

“We started it as a light-hearted, fun hobby to entertain me and my colleague during the lockdown.

“Each day we are receiving messages and support from other farms and enthusiasts who are intrigued about the animals, who owns them and what they are fed.

“It’s enabled us to become a prominent member of the goat community online.

“As a Marketing student at Bournemouth University, the page has been an example of putting my knowledge and tactics about social media in practice.

“It’s allowed me to combine my passion for my degree as well as my love for goats.

“Since the page has been running since June 2020, the weekly visits we make to collect content and images for the page has enlightened us.

“The goats have become a community hotspot in which they bring much joy, especially during these hard times.

“From young children to older folk, we have noticed they receive much more attention with many people basing their daily exercise routes so that they are able to interact with the friendly creatures.

“Could the goats represent a glimmer of hope during these times?

“I’ve always loved goats so to be able to combine my love with practising my social media skills is just incredible.”

A breakdown of Instagram statistics shows that the most views – 30 per cent – come from America.

The UK, on five per cent, tails behind other countries including Japan and Brazil.

“The goats have truly become global stars,” said Amy who first came to Bournemouth in 2015.

The herd of native goats first took up residence and started grazing on the cliffside in 2019.

Their arrival followed a successful pilot with a breed of British Primitive goats at Honeycombe Chine in Boscombe.

The goats form part of a ten year environmental stewardship agreement between BCP Council and Natural England.

It focuses on the preservation and protection of the cliffs with Natural England providing the funding needed to restore the cliffs’ natural features.

The cliffs provide a valuable habitat for a variety of animals and plants, some of which are very rare.

But large areas were becoming dominated by invasive, non-native vegetation to the detriment of natural habitats.

Grazing with goats has proved an effective, safe and sustainable way of managing the land.

Several fenced compartments house around ten to 20 goats of a hardy, native breed that are adapted to survive comfortably on rough terrain and in inclement weather conditions.

The scheme is designed to restore the natural features of the cliffs, which are designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

• Amy and Nez’s Instagram page can be found here.