How it all started

After deciding back in 2005 that I didn't want to continue working in an office, Neil and I started to look for some land to buy. After several disappointments, over the next 18 months, at auctions and losing out with closed bids I happened to see 15 acres for sale in Rutland. We immediately went to see it followed by a visit to the estate agents office to express our interest. After a couple of days we were advised that a closed bid would be required, which is what we did and to our surprise the land was ours. That was in October 2006 and just before Christmas the deal was done and we owned 15 acres with a large barn.
Once we new our offer had been accepted I set about deciding what it was were going to do with our new plot. I found on the internet and contacted NewLandOwner, a smallholder consultancy firm, giving practical advice to anyone new to smallholding including livestock, horticulture, legislation and planning issues. Visit www.newlandowner.co.uk
We attended one of their "Getting Started" weekend courses which gave us an insite into all aspects of smallholding and helped us decide where we wanted to start and what livestock to choose. We also used their planning consultancy service. They helped us throughout the planning process, but more about that later as that is a topic in itself.
Not shy of a new challenge we ploughed in (pardon the pun). Not only had we bought 15 acres but started a business we had no experience of and applied for planning permission for a residential dwelling.If we wanted to change our lives we might as well get on with it I thought.
So we bought 50 hens and 4 rare breed pigs, 2 young boars (Keith and Brendan) to fatten for pork and 2 gilts Tallulah and Lily for breeding. The hens soon started laying so we had eggs to sell and keeping pigs was fun as they can be very entertaining. Though they are not for the meek and mild as when you have 14 porkers in a paddock, as we have at the moment, they can be pretty boisterous at feeding time. Pigs don't have table manners and it is every pig for itself come feeding time.
To be honest as long as you have got some common sense keeping livestock shouldn't present any real problems. You just need to now the legal requirements and NewLandOwner were always and still are on hand if we need any help or advice.
By April I had moved my horses over as well which made life a bit easier though we still had to travel from Nottingham every day and at that time we were both still working full time as well.
In the meantime I had also found a good planning consultant that was willing to help us. I had contacted several but decided on Heaton Planning www.heatonplanning.co.uk
I'd like to say they helped us glide through the planning process but I'm sure that is not possible. It's more of an uphill stony track with many pitfalls along the way.
Towards the middle of 2007 that's where we were, starting with our new venture and looking to put in a planning application.