“I was born in the local hospital in the middle of lambing - and there was a cow calving. Dad made an appearance at the hospital at some point after the calf was safely born, meeting a disgruntled midwife at the door. She couldn’t believe that there was something important enough to prevent him from being at the hospital on the day his first child was born. But, that’s how it is when you grow up on a farm, and that set the tone for my childhood, really. Every birthday party after that involved showing a friend or two how to bottle-feed a lamb, before blowing out the candles and eating jelly and ice cream. And I wouldn’t change it.

When you are born into a farming family, you are born into a way of life. I feel lucky that my own children have been able to experience growing up on a family farm too. Farm life builds character and resilience. You learn from a young age that you are part of a team, part of something bigger than yourself, and often part of a story that goes back for generations. I have worked as an English teacher for almost 20 years, so it will come as no surprise that stories have always been important to me. My own children always wanted to read ‘real’ stories about farm life. In these books, I hope to share simple stories of ordinary life as a child on a family farm. Farming can be idyllic, but it can also be frustrating and tiring and things don’t always go as planned. In between, it can be a lot of fun!”

“As I come from a farming background, it was a natural fit for me to create and illustrate the Farmer in Training series with Anwen. As the eldest of four boys, I have always been expected to take over the running of the family farm, but I have always had a keen interest in art and design, so I followed a career that enabled me to put my passion to use.

My farming roots enable me to draw scenes from experience - the kind of scenes that farmers know all too well! For instance, you may notice the illustration of the sheep with its head stuck in a bucket. I don't know one sheep farmer who hasn't experienced seeing this!

I have enjoyed adding lots of extra details in the scenes. My youngest brother Meurig and Anwen's son Joe have managed my work throughout the project, insisting I add in Cayuga ducks, Badger sheep and the correct pitch-mark initials! Everything had to be just right - they were sticklers for detail!”