Grandad finds a new driving force

THE exuberance of youth and the experience of age are proving not just a healthy, but also a winning combination for grandson and grandfather Harry and Colin Bray. They have formed a successful livestock-showing double act that this year saw them sweep the board at Lincolnshire Show with their Lleyn sheep.

Colin, 75, was on the verge of quitting until 11-year-old Harry revealed a precocious interest. Now he has returned to the fray with the bit between his teeth, fired-up by Harry's enthusiasm.

"I've never been what you can call a proper farmer," says Colin. "I've never had my own farm as such. I used to be a shepherd, from leaving school, on the Lincolnshire Wolds. I used to look after flocks of up to 700-plus ewes. Then I left agriculture for a while when I went to work for British Steel.

"When I reached 56 I took voluntary redundancy and bought 21 acres of land here. I built my Lleyn flock up from 12 ewe lambs to around 100, but over the past few years I have been letting it dwindle.

"That's all changed now though thanks to Harry. He's quite the entrepreneur. At 11, he has big plans to do what I never did and farm in his own right."

Harry is not letting the grass grow under his feet. From the front garden wall he sells some of his mother and father's produce, which they grow on a smallholding near their home in Epworth, near Doncaster. Buyers are encouraged to put their money into an honesty box if no-one is keeping shop at the time. He also has chickens.

"I've got about 20 at the moment and I sell the eggs," says Harry. "My customer from furthest away is a man in Hull. But he doesn't just come over here for my eggs, he works around here too. I get about 14 eggs a day and sell about nine boxes a week."

Harry's father, Alastair, an agricultural contractor, has just taken on a small acreage of land around Epworth. Harry and Colin already have their own ideas of what they would like to see happen to it. "Alastair is now taking more of an interest in the sheep," says Colin. "He's just taken on 50 acres and Harry and I are going to try and get him to put it down to grass so that we can expand the flock again."

Colin admits to being reinvigorated by his grandson and the pair are clearly enjoying their teamwork.

The pride Colin feels in seeing his grandson want to compete in a showring and make a go of farming is encouragement enough for him. "Harry is far more ambitious than I have ever been. I've always kept a fairly low profile. His plans are far bigger than mine were."

Colin started showing his Lleyn flock 10 years ago and he is a past chairman of the North and East of England Lleyn Society. This year was his, and Harry's, finest hour at Lincolnshire Show.

"We got the lot. It was the best day of my life. We had supreme champion, reserve champion and won all three classes. We also took supreme champion at Driffield too. It was a great few weeks and Harry received a young handler trophy as well."

Harry isn't about to stop there and says: "I want to have a big sheep farm. I'd have the majority of my flock as Lleyns, probably up to 700, because that's how many my granddad went up to when he was shepherding."

Last month, he was presented with the Young Handler of the Year trophy at the North and East of England Lleyn Society AGM. Colin believes Harry can become anything he wants to be.

"He has such a strong belief in what he is doing. It doesn't matter whether it is his eggs, the produce or the sheep. I think he will achieve whatever he wants. He's also a very good drummer as well. I went along to a concert recently where he was playing and he was great."

Colin never lost faith in the Lleyn breed. His only reason for scaling down was due to his age. With Harry alongside him he has found a new commitment. "This breed produces a good looking sheep that produces a decent lamb. I had thought about going with Suffolks years ago but I am pleased I didn't. I have never bought a female since I first bought my 12 ewe lambs and I have never had less than 200 per cent lambing. In fact, at one time it was getting quite embarrassing with the number of fours and fives I was getting."

Colin lives in Armthorpe, near Doncaster, but spends more and more time with his grandson. "I only seem to go back home to roost these days."

When I requested permission to take their photograph, Harry and Colin were keen to get their 10-year old sheepdog, Bliss, into the picture. The junior entrepreneur, quick as a flash, had seen that might present him with a sales opportunity.

"Do you like dogs?" he asks and swiftly follows up the question with the information that their labrador has just had pups. "Would you like to buy one?"

Young Master Bray looks set to go further than gathering up trophies and rosettes at agricultural shows.

CW 6/11/10