Scotland Insight 2022 PRINT 15.3.22 - Flipbook - Page 13
What have been the biggest challenges
to date?
It was a fairly straightforward process
once the ball got rolling due to all the
planning and research that had been
done in previous years. Once financing
was agreed it was full steam ahead but
there were some delays in the supply
chain for materials and the vending
machine/pasteuriser themselves which
held us up quite a bit, by approx. 3
months. Luckily Kayleigh’s husband Rab
has a background in project management
so he was in charge of timelines and
making sure things were to schedule
as much as he was able to control.
Were you able to make use of any
funding schemes?
The whole process has been funded
by a bank loan. There was potential
funding available but deadlines weren’t
corresponding well with our plans
so we went down the route of self
financing which sped up the whole
process rather than wait to see if our
funding application had been accepted.
We weighed up the pros and cons and
decided 6 months worth of extra trading
would be more beneficial than to wait.
What advice would you offer others
thinking of diversifying?
Advice for other clients looking to diversify
would be to ‘just go for it’. We had been
thinking about it for years then, Kayleigh
had a daughter 5 weeks before she & her
husband bought a local restaurant. In
hindsight we wish we had done it 5 years
prior to all that. There is no right time so
don’t wait for it. Yes, it is scary but the
unknown always is. Small baby steps is
how we did it and yes it may have taken
us years but it doesn’t have to. Make the
first step and then the next and in a years
time you’ll be surprised how much further
on you are – just do what you can. The
time passes anyway so you might as well
make small changes as and when you can.
How did This Farming Life come
about?
We, as a family have always watched This
DIVERSIFICATION
WOULDN’T HAVE
HAPPENED WITHOUT
THE GUIDANCE
AND REASSURANCE
FROM YOUNGS THAT
INVESTING IN A TENANT
FARM WASN’T AS MUCH
OF A RISK AS WE HAD
ONCE THOUGHT.”
We’re not even at the point of trading on
the programme but obviously people have
been following us on social media and now
know who we are and are coming in their
100’s every day. It is a process that we
all went into feeling quite apprehensive
but shouldn’t have now knowing what
a wonderful experience it was having
the camera crew here and the laughs
(and tears) we have had along the way.
•
This Farming Life is on BBC TWO and
iPlayer
Farming Life and Dad (Andy) made a light
hearted comment suggesting we should
go on it. Kayleigh thought that it would
be the perfect time to apply if we were
to press on with our plans so she did. She
hadn’t actually told Andy & Christine she
applied until she received the email about
the first visit. We were whittled down to
8-10 different farms when the cameras
came to do a ‘screen test’ if you like to see
how we came across on camera. This was
in February 2021 and by the beginning of
March 2021 we had a phone call to say
we had been chosen and the cameras
would be with us the following week.
How has This Farming Life benefitted
you and your farming community?
Kayleigh’s motivation behind doing
Tom Oates joined
the programme was to showcase
the company in 2014
what a beautiful place Stranraer
as a Director. Since
is and hadn’t really thought as far
qualifying as a Rural
ahead as to how it would affect the
Chartered Surveyor,
diversification process or end result.
he has worked in the
We have been overwhelmed with the
North of England and
amount of support we have had locally and Scotland, specialising in the acquisition
the amount of people that have said they and sale of rural property.
have seen us on the tv as been astonishing. Email | tom.oates@youngsrps.com
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