"JLS was an excellent platform...but the farm is going to be an excellent resource for my family" JB Gill introduces Down on the Farm
Down on the Farm will be on weekly from Friday 14th August at 5:00pm.
So, it seems like a lot has gone on since you left JLS! Tell us a little bit about what you’ve been up to…
Absolutely!! A lot has been going on since JLS as you can imagine - I got married! My wife and I had a son and have enjoyed the experience of becoming parents for the first time. I've also had a lot of time to reflect on my life, my achievements and what I would like for my future and the future of my family.
The biggest thing I learnt through the incredible experience of JLS was how to give back to others. As a result, and alongside Sheffield College, I've been working on mentoring college-age students through a diploma I created, which aims to enhance the productivity of young people wishing to break into the music industry.
I've taken part in competitions such as Celebrity Masterchef in order to further establish myself within the food and farming sector. I also worked alongside Adam Henson and many other farmers and personalities to build up my knowledge, as I knew very little about that world beforehand.
Through my Christian influences, I've also had a huge change in my lifestyle and have been looking to turn my farm into a working environment and teaching aid, hence my involvement with CBeebies’ Down on the Farm. JLS was an excellent platform for myself and the boys as individuals but the farm is going to be an excellent resource for my family as we grow and learn all about the natural environment around us.
My goal is to be involved in the kind of initiatives that will raise awareness around all the important food and farming issues within the UK and eventually overseas. Through shows like Down on the Farm I hope young children and their families will start talking and thinking about where and how we get our food.
Can you tell us a little bit about Down on the Farm and what can we expect from the series?
Down on the Farm is a brilliant show and I'm not just saying that! Perhaps I am slightly biased but as a father of a young son now, I appreciate its value even more. The show does what it says – it’s an introduction to what it's like to be down on the farm. It looks at different types of farming and aims to give an insight into the skills and work that go into farming and producing the food which we all love to eat.
It’s a tool - using children - that aims to educate other children in the benefits of farming, either as part of their school education, part of a home or family activity, or even as a recreational experience. Down on the Farm tackles the important issues in farming and is accessible for the 3-6 year old audience and their families. As a country we have a very rich and diverse history of farming and it's something that should, and will, be made available to the next generation through Down on the Farm.
JB's co-presenter, Storm, spending some quality time with a Jersey cow during filming.
How did you get into farming and did you have much experience before you started?
Farming was very accidental for me. I purchased the land near to where I live when I moved out of my family home and didn't really have much use for it. Land is an extremely valuable commodity and I am so glad that I bought it when I did. I struggled with deciding what to do with it for so long but I decided to go into farming when I read a couple of passages from a book of proverbs talking about farming! I don't believe in coincidences and a few people had been mentioning farming to me and encouraging me to get into it.
I don't have the largest plot of land but I knew that, at the very least, I would be able to create an incredible space and environment for my wife and children. And it turned out I was totally bitten by the farming bug! I love being outdoors and now totally appreciate the value of farmers and those who provide us with the vast needs of our nation’s food intake. Not having any experience of farming beforehand, I had to pretty much rely on my dad for help with the little he knows and he's been a massive help in establishing the farm and running it on a daily basis.
The best thing about farming is that I found I didn’t have to have or know much to get started and – even better – although it took some time, my experience "on the job" was so much more valuable than anything else! You never stop learning so even shooting this series of Down on the Farm has been an eye opener and helped me to understand aspects of growing, for instance, which I really knew nothing about.
Have there been any unexpected challenges when setting up your own farm?
The challenges have been monumental – from chasing pigs around when they escape, to trying to set up and organise collection day for my turkeys at Christmas, it's literally one tough task after another! That said, when you get it right, there’s nothing better. And when others are blown away by what you've done and achieved, it's the icing on the cake. It makes me extremely thankful for the gifts I have been given.
Do you have any hints and tips for any parents that might be interested in growing their own food or maybe even having their own livestock?
I think the biggest thing to remember is to do your research! Initially I made lots of mistakes, so the more you can learn beforehand, the better. Down on the Farm will be a great starting point for families but you can also purchase books, look online, go to the library or get involved in initiatives in your local areas. I’d say you should never be afraid to ask for help – I've been so grateful for all the advice I've been given by all the different people I’ve come into contact with. The farming community has been so helpful to me in every way possible, so get to know your local growers and producers if you can!
Why do you think it’s so important for little ones to start thinking about where their food comes from while they’re very young?
I am a firm believer that children are our future. It’s our responsibility to teach them and give them the skills they’ll need for the future. I believe in a little proverb that says "train a child in the way it should go, and when it is old it will not depart from it".
If the future of our nation’s food industry believe that food makes itself on the supermarket shelf, we won't have a food industry for very long! Even with all the farming machines and tools which can be used on a farm to make our jobs easier, the reality is that we still have to use the land and work alongside animals to produce fruit, vegetables and meat for eating. Children should take pride in where their food comes from, take pride in how it is cultivated and produced, respect its origins and want to preserve and enhance the natural resources we have available to us.
Farming and the outdoors is such an incredible tool for learning and such a valuable asset for any child, let alone person, to have. The best thing about it is that through farming, there are so many disciplines and skills which can be learnt by even the most unwilling student and adapted and applied to any future career path.
What can parents and carers do to encourage their little ones to get stuck in outdoors (especially if they haven’t got much experience themselves or live in a built up area)?
It's difficult when you live somewhere where outdoor space is a long journey away. I grew up in South London and there isn't as much greenery as where I live now. That said, if you can only travel once a year in the summer holidays to a farm or outdoor space that’s just as valuable. Also, as we see in a few of the Down on the Farm shows, it really doesn't take a lot of space to grow things and learn about farming.
What do you think children will get from watching Down on The Farm?
I think the children watching Down on the Farm will be very excited to see other children around their age getting stuck in and learning about farms. They'll also learn about the benefits of farming and how much fun it can be to get involved in such an interesting and valuable industry. It's only the starting point but it's a great platform for kids to explore their budding talents, imagination and life skills.
What do the rest of JLS think about you making a CBeebies series?
The JLS boys are extremely supportive. It doesn't matter what each of us do or where we do it as long as we believe in it and work hard for it. Marvin has a daughter of CBeebies age and I'm sure she’ll be watching the show. Oritsé also has a son a similar age to mine and I'm sure they’ll both grow up on the farm together and share that whole experience. Farming may not be their whole world but – as we learn from the show – it’s something that affects us all and something we all need to appreciate.
