Kelvin Fletcher and his wife Liz are back on screens, giving a fresh insight on farm living over on ITV. But the couple have revealed they’ve encountered disaster on their farm.
Former Emmerdale actor Kelvin Fletcher and his wife Liz are back on screens – but they’re still reeling from a catastrophic fire on their estate.
Kelvin Fletcher welcomes cameras back onto his farm for a third series, and proudly tells cameras he finally feels like a bonafide farmer. “This is my version of a happy life, we’ve found our purpose now,” he says.
Joining Kelvin in the fourth year of Fletcher’s Family Farm is his wife Liz and their four children – Marnie, Milo and twins Mateusz and Maximus. “I’d even go as far to say the kids are farmers,” Liz says.
The family’s Peak District farm – nestled in Cheshire – is busier than ever. Lambing season is in full swing, and even the twins are lending a hand.
“It’s our fourth year lambing,” Kelvin says. “We’re well and truly in our groove. The lambs are flying out at the moment which is great. We’re not having to get involved at all. It’s exactly what you want.”
But there’s more than lambs joining the fold this season. For the first time, the Fletchers welcome a breeding bull to grow their herd – following the success of their prize cow, Cherry, who was crowned Supreme Champion at the Royal Cheshire Show.
“We’ve never had a male come on the farm to serve before. I’m excited,” says Kelvin, “The cows were way more excited than him.” The bull’s arrival holds a deeper meaning for Kelvin.
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He decided to name him Crowther in honour of his late best friend, Steven Crowther. “He’s named after my best mate who sadly passed away,” Kelvin says.
“Every time I look at Crowther, I think of my mate. Some of my best memories were with him by my side. If Crowther was going to be an animal, he’d be a bull.”
Kelvin even shared the touching tribute with his late friend’s parents. “I took a picture and sent it to his mum and dad. They were delighted,” Kelvin says.
However, amid the highs came a devastating low. During a rare family trip away, their farmhouse caught fire. “We took the whole family away and a few days in, we got a call saying the house was on fire,” Liz remembers.
“Our first reaction was ‘thank god we weren’t here.’” The fire tore through the roof of their beloved home they’d spent years restoring. To make matters worse – the extensive smoke damage has rendered the home inhabitable for the family.
“It was the stuff of nightmares,” Kelvin says, “Our neighbour called us. She was in a panic and the fire was roaring.” But their hands were tied. “The fire brigade was called. It was surreal. We were in another country, there was nothing we could do,” Kelvin remembers.
Still, the Fletchers take it all in stride as they walk through the charred remains of their belongings in Fletchers’ Family Farm. “We just have to clean up and tidy up,” Kelvin says with a smile. “One thing I love is a rebound,” Liz jokes, “My ironing board’s gone. Luckily, I never did any ironing.”
The Fletchers aren’t just focused on livestock this year. Kelvin has set his signs on restoring the farm’s legacy as a mixed operation. “This farm was, once upon a time, a mixed farm,” Kelvin says, “It did livestock but it grew crops as well from barley, oats, potatoes. However, for the last 20 years, it’s been pure livestock.”
Now, the family are taking on a new challenge – growing their own oats. “We’re going to grow some oats and hopefully, in six, nine months from now we’ll be sitting at our breakfast table eating our own oats,” Kelvin says. The plan kicks off with Kelvin ploughing his first oat field with over four tonnes of specialist machinery.
But Liz wasn’t as convinced. “This is definitely Kelvin’s idea and I said I didn’t think it was possible,” Liz says. “We have a lot of things against us. But he was determined we were going to make oats. It’s such a different venture to us.”
Their oldest daughter Marnie, now eight, is also stepping into her farming boots. Passionate about animals, she’s raising her own herd of Jacob lambs and learning the ropes of shepherding from her father.
Fletchers’ Family Farm returns to ITV on Sunday, October 19.
