108 of the sheep were brought back to England and Scotland to found new flocks here.
It was an amazing experience that I will never forget.
Dad and I returned to the Orkney’s with the Countryfile cameras for a trip down memory lane.
Adam Henson
Adam Henson is perhaps the best-known farmer in the UK, presenting his own section on BBC’s Countryfile to millions of viewers each Sunday evening.
But farming and conservation are Adam’s first passions and when the camera stops rolling, there is still plenty of work to be done.
Early life
Growing up on the Cotswold Hills as a farmer’s son was a great start to life and it spurred my enthusiasm to become a farmer one day.
I was born in 1966 and got involved with the family business from an early age.
When the Farm Park opened in 1971 me and my three sisters all helped out.
When I was only 8 years old, I accompanied my Dad, Joe to the island of North Ronaldsay, on an excursion to buy 287 sheep. The North Ronaldsay breed had been isolated to the shore of the island and the Rare Breeds Survival Trust had managed to buy another island – Linga Holm – to act as an alternative breeding site.
Education
I went to local schools through to A’ levels and then worked on the Chatsworth Estate in Derbyshire for a year’s work experience before going to Seale-Hayne Agricultural College in Devon, where I gained a HND in Agriculture and its Management.
(image - celebrating with Reaseheath College Graduates in 2012 as a guest speaker.)
At college I became great mates with Duncan Andrews and after our studies we travelled together to Australia and New Zealand for a year, working on arable and sheep stations, before returning home via California and Canada.
This gave us a great insight into agriculture in other parts of the world.
Career
When I succeeded the farm tenancy from my father in 1999, Duncan and his family joined me in the business and we now jointly run the 650-hectare estate, together with the Cotswold Farm Park, home to over 50 breeding flocks and herds of British rare breed farm animals.
In 2001 I applied for a presenting position on Countryfile as they were looking for someone who was interested in farming and the rural domain.
The media world is not a stranger to me as I come from a thespian family.
My grandfather, Leslie Henson, was a comedian, my father, Joe Henson, presented a countryside TV programme with Angela Rippon and Phil Drabble and my uncle, Nicky Henson, was an actor who appeared in films and TV programmes including Fawlty Towers and Inspector Morse.
I was lucky enough to be chosen from over 3,500 applicants to become a TV presenter.
Since Countryfile has moved to its Sunday evening timeslot, I am often presenting from the farm at home, giving me the opportunity to describe first-hand the life of a livestock and arable farmer in these modern times.
It is thrilling to be part of a programme that has gone from strength to strength and now regularly receives 6-7 million viewers.
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