Inside Fletchers Family Farm With Kelvin & Liz

From Oldham to the fields of Emmerdale, the racetrack to his very own farm in the Peak District, Kelvin Fletcher has led many lives – but it’s the farming life that suits him best. With wife Liz and their four kids, the Fletcher family has taken on a 120 acre Peak District farm, which we learned all about in Fletchers’ Family Farm last year. Finally back for a second series – with some new bovine members of the family – here’s what Fletchers’ Family Farm series 2 has in store for us, according to Kelvin and Liz.

Kelvin & Liz On Fletchers’ Family Farm Series 2

Hi guys, how’s life going at the moment?

Kelvin: Good, yeah! We’re getting ready for the new series of Fletchers’ Family Farm coming out, so that’s exciting. And then as well, not to admit the obvious, but we’re getting ready for Christmas! Is it too early? I’m not sure. It always feels like it’s too early, and then all of a sudden, it’s Christmas Eve and you haven’t done anything! So we’re trying to pre-empt any sort of panic. 

I think this is a great time of year. The seasons have really changed now: it’s getting colder, and all the colours, the freshness, the coldness… I’m starting to feel very wintery. And, dare I say, Christmassy as well. So yeah, quite an exciting time of year for us, and obviously we’re busy on the farm. The kids are crazy, the animals are sometimes crazy, and me and Liz are trying to keep everyone sane – and ourselves sane as well.

Fans can now tune into the hotly anticipated second series of Fletchers Family Farm – what can we expect this time around?

Liz: Oh, I think it’s gonna take you on an emotional roller coaster. From episode one, there’s so much going on. We’ve got cows now. The kids have grown up a little bit more. The twins are super feral and involved in everything. It feels like everything is the same, but so much has changed. I feel like we’ve got a goal now of where we’re at with the farm, and I think you see that, although we’ve still got so much to learn, we know so much more than the first series. I’m really excited for people to see it and to see how far we’ve come on. We do fall short still on a few things, and we have to learn it, but I guess that’s just life, isn’t it? You see how we tackle that, and we face a lot of challenges. I’m crying in the first episode, and I never cry. So that says it all!

What is it like to look back on series 1 and the early days on the farm?

Kelvin: I think that’s what has been amazing about filming an observational documentary. There were a lot of considerations initially: as actors, to invite a film crew into your personal space, in a situation that you’re still figuring out yourself… There were some serious considerations there. But we did it as honestly as we could, and what we got out of it was, first and foremost, an amazing TV show. The audience reception we’ve had has been absolutely incredible, and it has resonated with so many people. But we can also look back and think, ‘we’ve captured that moment’. We’ve really got that documented and in such a beautiful way that we will have forever. And the fact that people have enjoyed watching it is just the biggest of bonuses.

That’s why it’s actually quite exciting for us to continue that now: to capture another time capsule, another chapter of our life. And it feels like this chapter is only really beginning, and the second series will demonstrate that. We’re really proud of the show and proud of our journey. Three years ago, we didn’t even have a dog! We’ve really come on so far, and it’s just great for us to look back and reflect. And we rarely do it, but to give ourselves a bit of a pat on the back and say ‘we were crazy, we were a bit bold, we jumped in there. And it’s been tough, it’s been up and down, but ultimately, wow, what we’ve achieved’. That galvanises you. That gives you the belief and the confidence to say ‘Yes, we can, and let’s carry on’. 

It’s been a real moment for us, and to capture that has been a bit of an honour, really. And like I said, to top it off, the reception has been the most amazing thing.

The Fletchers

Is there anything in the new series you’re really excited for people to see?

Liz: I think the cows were a big step. We were really thinking about it in series one, but I pulled the plug on it, unfortunately, because we just had so much going on. It just wasn’t the right time. And now in the second series, it was absolutely the right time. Having the cows here felt like the missing piece of the jigsaw that we needed. That in itself is a journey, getting cows. Sheep is one thing, but cows… They’re such a big animal! And there’s so much more that goes with it, and I think you really see that from day one – how we deal with it. There are challenges, excitement, a few tears…

Kelvin: And spoiler alert, but we have a very successful country show! So it’s got it all, hasn’t it?

Liz: Our son, Milo, is five and his first animal that he shows he’s a cow. And he’s so little, stood there, next to his cow! And you just think, ‘Oh, look at them just, just jumping in feet first and going with it’. I’m excited for you to see the whole thing, though – it’s hard to pinpoint one thing, but I think the cows were the final piece of the jigsaw.

Looking back to when you decided to take the plunge into farm life, how did your family react when you broke the news?

Kelvin: Really? You, Kelvin? You’re not into animals… Like, what?

Liz: Are you mad?

Kelvin: You’ve never wanted to do this… Are you sure? And we said, ‘no, we didn’t want to do this. We never planned it either, but we fancy doing it now, so this is what we’re doing’. Liz, I don’t know about your mates, but my mates and even our family, they probably do think we’re crazy. But they’re somewhat used to it. Nothing really surprises them anymore. 

I think as individuals, we’ve always had a zest and willingness to embrace the unknown. To just follow through with your thoughts, as many of us, unfortunately, are reluctant to do so – for fear of failure, for fear of the unknown. I don’t know what it is, but we’ve always kind of embraced that. Then as a collective with four young kids, when most people take a step back and think ‘it’s not about me, it’s about the family’, we thought, ‘well, it’s about me, it’s about the family, we’re doing it!’. Maybe that’s what makes it an entertaining show – because we’re doing things and you think, ‘they’re doing that with four kids? They must be crazy!’ But to us, it doesn’t really feel crazy – that’s just how we are. 

I think our family is probably like the audience. They are probably sat there thinking, ‘Ooh, I don’t know if that’s for me. But fair play.’

Do you remember the moment you decided to go for it?

Kevin: I remember viewing the farm, and that was the day. You know, we’ve all viewed a house before, and you get that feeling, don’t you? You think, ‘yeah, I could live here’. And I’ve had that feeling in suburbia, but that was the first time I’d ever had it in a rural setting.

Liz: I mean, the viewing took about three hours, because Kelvin had to see every inch of the 120 acres! So you’re not just viewing the house – we had to go through the whole thing. It was like a full day out!

What has it been like raising a family on the farm?

Liz: My favourite part of the farm is seeing the kids getting stuck in. They just find adventure in every corner. You know, Milo will find a random stick somewhere and before, you know it, he’s having a sword fight with his brothers. I love how they’re noticing the berries growing on the trees, or they notice where the chickens are laying the eggs. Those are some of the most beautiful moments – where you feel the most present and you think, ‘wow, look at them’. It’s raining, it’s freezing, and you know, they are just soaking it all up, as you can do with nature.

Kelvin: It’s the empathy as well with the animals. Kids have that instinctive ability to have empathy, kindness and care, and to see that demonstrated with an animal is beautiful to sit back and watch. Whether it’s holding a lamb for the first time or witnessing the birth of an animal. That is so significant: it’s life Whether it’s the birth of a child or the birth of a lamb, for me, it’s just as significant. It’s an absolute privilege to witness, and the kids have seen that, and I think those moments are the most impressive – to see the kids in awe, in absolute admiration and wonder. It must be sensory overload for what they are witnessing there. As a parent, in those moments, you stand back and think, ‘yeah, this is why we’re doing this’.

Liz: It gives them great independence as well. The twins are 18 months, and they’ve got their jobs: filling the feed up and giving it to the animals. It’s that chance to let them get involved. Marnie, our eldest, is such a leader. She makes me so proud. They all do. But now, as she’s getting to eight, she just takes the lead without us even asking anymore. She just knows what to do. And it’s so great to see, at a young age, people taking on that responsibility and knowing how important it is, what they need to do on a day to day basis. I love that.

The family in the barn

Is there anything since starting the farm that’s really surprised you?

Kelvin: Not much surprises me, really. I’m not one for preconceptions. Maybe it’s blissful ignorance! But I didn’t have any expectations. I knew it would be a challenge, I didn’t know there would be so much paperwork, I didn’t realise there were so many species of sheep, I didn’t realise the importance of the food chain and your responsibilities as a food producer… I could go on and on and on. There are so many things that I wasn’t aware of, but it never shocked me.

Liz: I guess I just can’t remember what I did before!

Kelvin: What did we do with all of our time?

Liz: What did I do before the farm? Because now I can’t imagine life without it. I must have just wasted so much time. I think that’s what surprised me: how this life was something that we never thought of, and yet it’s something we feel is so right for us. I’m a city girl. I’ve lived in London, I’ve had the heels and the handbags and nipping out for coffee lifestyle. But I just feel at peace here, dressed in my wellies, surrounded by mud and mucking out. That’s probably the biggest surprise. Even my mates say, ‘I can’t believe the difference in you.’ The simple things are just so important now.

Do you think you are farmers for life now?

Liz: Absolutely.

What does it mean to you to be a modern farmer?

Kelvin: I find myself saying something that people used to say to me, and I couldn’t really understand until I’d walked in those shoes. But it’s just a way of life. You can’t put your finger on it. Nature’s got a lot to do with it – that sense of being present, the awareness… It puts everything into perspective. Your life isn’t insignificant, but there’s so much more to consider. The world is such a big place, but there’s a nice simplicity to it: just be present, be humble, be you, be grounded. Farming is hard work, patience, sometimes frustration, things fall out of your control. But we adapt. I think farming encompasses life. I’ve never known an industry like it – that can really represent life in all its glory.

What’s next for the farm?

Kelvin: We’ve started doing a lot more events now, bringing people and corporates to the farm  and embracing that rustic farm backdrop, the nature, and we’ve got some amazing views. Maybe it’s because we’re actors, we’re creatives, we’ve got a bit of a vision and we’ve managed to kind of morph two industries somewhat. That really is quite exciting for us, and something we really want to try and continue to do.

Liz: We’ve also renovated our 18th century holiday let and it’s just gone so much further above what we ever thought it would be. We get a lot of enjoyment out of that – having guests come to stay. I think that is the thing on the farm: we get to create whatever we want! We can do one event one year, and do something different the year after. We’ve done a few events now, and we just want to create things that other families would want. That’s the absolute beauty of this place!

Do you think series 3 is on the cards?

Liz: Oh, you’ll just have to wait and see!

Kelvin: What we can say is, this journey has only just begun – and we’re not going anywhere!

The Fletchers

WATCH

Fletchers’ Family Farm series 2 begins 11.30am on Sunday 24 November on ITV1. Catch up at itv.com