Farmland gifted to charity to help young people find their feet in the industry |
The land at Morton Lodge Farm was donated by the Hays family to the Clan Trust, which supports young farmers, agricultural sciences and outreach services for the elderly.
It is being farmed under a tenancy to generate income which will support the charity’s grants to help young people in the East of England to take their first steps into agricultural careers, by offering training, equipment or opportunities that might otherwise be out of reach.
And the generous donation continues a family farming story which began with a single cow.
When Emmanuel “Mant” Taylor Hays and his wife Alice first entered farming, they had just one heifer - Peggy - who arrived by train from East Anglia.
Peggy proved to be an exceptional dairy cow, producing up to six gallons of milk a day, and she became the foundation of a family business which expanded to include pigs, chickens and some arable land, eventually farming around 106 acres.
Land at Morton Lodge Farm in Derbyshire, has been donated by the Hays family to Norfolk-based charity the Clan Trust. Pictured: Russell Hays in the workshop (Image: Hays family)
The couple's son Russell Hays grew up on the farm, but when his parents retired, the land was let to friends while he pursued a career in agricultural engineering.
When the tenancy ended, the opportunity arose to decide how the land might continue to serve a purpose connected to farming.
The farmhouse was eventually sold, and the remaining land was gifted to the Clan Trust so its income could support grants giving young people the chance to build a future in agriculture.
A statement by the Hays family says: “Farming has always been at the heart of our family’s life.
“It felt important that the land should continue to support farming in some way. The Clan Trust helps young people find their feet in the industry, and we hope this gift will help others begin their own journey, just as our family once did.”
Clan Trust chairman Ben Turner, a director of Norwich-based farm machinery dealer Ben Burgess, said the legacy will help young farmers in the East of England.
"Our focus is Norfolk and the eastern region, so we were surprised when we were contacted out of the blue [by the Hays family], but it is not a geographical remit that it must be spent in a certain location," he said. "It is more about the core elements of what we do, and why we do it - to give back to agriculture and connect young people with opportunities.
"We entered into a tenancy with the individual that bought the farmhouse, and the intention is that it will be a long-term tenancy where they will use the land for livestock grazing, and that will provide us with income for our charitable activities.
"The story of Morton Lodge Farm is a wonderful example of the generosity and long-term thinking that is so often part of farming families.
"This gift will help us continue supporting people who are passionate about agriculture but may need a helping hand to take those first important steps."