My story

On the 8th May 2018 Horham Dairy & Care Farm CIC was finally established.  It’s been a long hard struggle and I am telling you my story as I hope it will inspire you never to give up when things get tough and always follow your dream.

My dream was once ‘our’ dream when my husband Keith and I brought 12 acres of land in 2005 with the aim of building a small dairy and make goat’s milk cheese. The site was surrounded by intensively farmed agricultural land so we also wanted to create an oases where wildlife could flourish and which the local community and other people could benefit from.

In 2008 we received planning permission to build the dairy but the credit crunch came along and I was made redundant – our plans were put on hold.  In the next few years I worked full-time and Keith started putting the structure of the farm in place, we brought four Golden Guernsey goats in 2006 – the start of our milking herd.  Money was tight and we spent every penny we had on fencing, hedging, planting trees and building field shelters, as the goats gradually expanded.  I can remember one Christmas when Santa dropped off 15 fence posts each one tied with a pink ribbon and we had the best Christmas together outside on a beautiful, crisp, sunny day digging holes.

Keith set up a small plant nursery specialising in growing culinary and medicinal herbs, also doing gardening jobs for local people and chopping wood.  He supplied herb plants for a community garden which was displayed at the Hampton Court garden show and the nursery was slowing expanding.  I continued to work full-time and in 2012 found myself working in London – I’m not sure why but it seemed a good idea at the time.  It was definitely only going to be for 3 years max!!  Keith was convinced that 2015 was going to be a good year and our luck would change.

Life was tough, Keith built up the farm and plant nursery spending every day on his own – we lived in a caravan and had no mains power or running water so no luxuries like a long hot soak in the bath in the middle of winter when you’ve worked outside all day in the freezing cold.  In contrast I had it easy working for someone else in a nice warm office which did have a shower.  As I stood under the hot shower I always used to think how lucky I was.

By the Summer of 2014 Keith was getting grumpy and I couldn’t figure out why – he seemed to be losing interest in the farm and even used to reminisce about his childhood and people he hadn’t seen for ages including his parents that had both died.  We were out one Saturday sitting in a Costa, as I ordered I looked back at him and it took by breath away to see how old and thin he looked – why hadn’t I noticed this before was all I could think.  I felt sick, he hadn’t been to a doctors for 45 years surely he can’t be ill?  He said he was fine and got cross with me for asking him so I didn’t any more.

By Christmas 2014 he was too weak to feed the goats and with the Christmas holiday over I started to nag him again about going to the doctors.  I frightened myself silly searching the internet.  He finally went to the doctors in February and that was the first day I had ever seen him cry in 42 years when he came home and said the doctor had mentioned the ‘C’ word.  Nine weeks later when he had his first scan we found out it was terminal, untreatable and incurable stomach cancer.  The next five month’s were so painful and the farm was Keith’s saviour – he died peacefully in my arms on 18th July 2015. 

I continued to work in London balancing a full-time job with looking after the farm and the nursery and not feeling as if I had time to do anything well.  The farm was my saviour now.  I cried every time I left the farm to go to London on the train and cried all the way back as I knew he wouldn’t be there to meet me from the train station. After 3 years I finally had the strength to give up my job and be on the farm full-time – I haven’t stopped telling myself how lucky I am.  Being with the goats all day and working in the herb nursery has had enormous benefits to me particularly my mental wellbeing.

It has taken lots of hard work and determination to get this far and of course the right opportunities.  In 2017 I was offered a place on the Lloyds Bank Foundation / School of Social Entrepreneurs programme and in addition secured a grant from the Norfolk Leader project to build the dairy.    

My dream is nearly a reality as finally building works start in a month on the dairy which should be in full production by Spring 2019.  An official launch is being planned for 18th July 2019.

So never give up when things get tough and always follow your dream.