Lynda Perkins
Raising them right
In 2008, Lynda Perkins from Dinas Cross,Wales, was named Woman
Farmer of the Year. We hear how she has combined her passion for
farming with family life and childminding.
"The farm that I live on with my family is a working farm on
Dinas Island on the North Pembrokeshire coast of West Wales. We
have cattle, sheep, pigs, chickens and ducks, along with domestic
cats and dogs. Aside from the animals, we grow different grasses,
clover and chicory.
My work on the farm has always been combined with raising my own
family and my work as a registered childminder. I became a
childminder when my second child was born. The farm environment
gives children the space to run, play and learn, and I didn’t want
my children to miss out on growing up here. Childminding offered me
the best of both worlds.
I have great fun and pleasure in childminding and find it very
satisfying. The children love being outdoors on the farm with the
animals and exploring nature. There is always something different
to see every day. The different farming seasons provide the
children with a unique opportunity to learn about animals and farm
life in a way that they would not normally be able to. We also have
areas that we allow to grow wild to encourage wildlife – it is
amazing how quickly the children learn about different birds and
insects.
Safe surroundings
The location is a little off the beaten track – we are a mile
away from the nearest road, and the beach is at the bottom of the
drive. The hardest thing about childminding somewhere like this is
getting parents to visit for the first time – but they normally
love the location once they have seen it. I now have three children
of my own under the age of 6, so at the moment I am only providing
emergency relief childminding and holiday cover placements for
other local childminders. On two days a week I run a local
playgroup for a couple of hours.
My work on the farm keeps me busy – I have my own flock of
pedigree sheep for breeding and showing, and all the meals I
cook are made from our homegrown produce. Depending on the weather,
and what else is going on at the farm, the children love to get
outside and learn about what’s happening. They like to feed the
chickens and collect their eggs, and some children like to bottle
feed the lambs. They also like to ride on the toy tractors,
pretending that they are the real farmer!
The safety of the children is something that I have to be
thinking about at all times. If there are tractors or any kind of
machinery being used then we will steer well clear, and my husband
always knows what we are planning to do. We have a very secure gate
system in the house so that children can not let themselves out,
and all farm medicines and sprays are securely locked away in a
completely separate office.
Back to nature
It is really important to help children to learn about the
natural environment. I am currently training on the Countryside
Education Visits Accreditation Scheme, which will allow me to host
school visits to the farm. So many young children don’t understand
where the food they eat comes from, so it is a valuable learning
experience. It was my childminding experience that encouraged me to
gain a formal qualification to teach children about
agriculture.
It was a real high point when I was awarded the NFU
Cymru/NatWest WalesWoman Farmer of the Year 2009. The award is
designed to recognise women in agriculture and what they do to
promote the industry. I was very flattered when I found out that a
neighbour had nominated me, because I don’t think I do anything
different from a lot of people, but it was fantastic to know that
what I do has been recognised.”