I grew up on Henbont, a traditional Welsh hill farm that has been farmed by my family since 1870. We have a small flock of Welsh mountain sheep which are grazed on the Black Mountain, as has been the custom for centuries. Whilst my parents farmed, I learnt my trade for 20 years as a fabricator welder and worked all over the UK on projects including The MOD in Bristol, St Davids Shopping Centre in Cardiff, and Chelsea Harbour Village in London, specializing in stainless steel balustrading and spiral staircases.

During these periods of working away, I would return to the farm at weekends or on special events such as shearing, hay making and gathering. When my parents retired I took over the farm, started a family of my own and established my welding fabrication business.

Henbont has an ancient woodland which consists of oak, larch, beech and ash and this was traditionally used in the construction of ships and horse drawn carriages. We have records showing wood being auctioned as far back as 1875! In 2016 it became apparent that the woodland was in need of managing, and a plan was developed. This involved thinning sections of the wood and putting in place an ongoing sustainable growing programme. I realized there was an opportunity to combine my metalwork skills with the wood resources now available to me.