I am a cattle and sheep farmer passionate about farming with nature, improving soil health and biodiversity while producing high quality meat and fibre.

The UK used to be a centre of excellence for vegetable tanning but the Heritage Crafts Association now classifies oak bark tanning as 'critically endangered' and vegetable tanning as 'endangered'. Only one oak bark tannery is left in the UK and, after another tannery recently shut down, one other cattle hide vegetable tannery remains – the rest are all abroad. I am passionate about small, sustainable farms and how we can get the full value from native breed cattle. I want to establish a micro-tannery that will enable rural communities to adopt sustainable leather production.

Through my Fellowship I am looking to extend my knowledge of how to vegetable tan hides and, in particular, gain insight into the practicalities of how to set up a viable micro-tannery for cattle hides. The goal is to help kickstart a micro-tannery revolution in the UK, reversing the decline of the traditional industry and bringing back value to the hides that farmers produce.