From wig to wellies

Barrister Iain Colville jokes that, sometimes, when he appears in court, in his wig and gown, he's conscious of a whiff of silage or wishes he'd scrubbed his fingernails more thoroughly! That's because he's juggles his legal work in housing appeals in London alongside rearing pedigree cows on his farm in Northern Ireland. While in London, he keeps a close eye on the cameras which keep him in touch with what's going in the barns and the byres. His legal colleagues are fascinated. He says: "They compare it to Clarkson's farm!"

Iain grew up on a family farm, about ten miles outside Belfast, in County Down. The Colvilles have been farming there for generations but as a teenager, Iain decided that agriculture was not for him. He went to England, embarked on a legal career, met and married Malini, a teacher from Leicester and they settled just outside London.

The Colville's came over to Northern Ireland on family visits and Iain would help his father around the farm. Almost despite himself, he felt the lure of farming and began to breed pedigree Aberdeen Angus cows. Ten years ago the couple and their children made the decision to move to Northern Ireland and buy their own farm.

Malini says it was a huge change for her. She has no farming background. Her family, originally from India, had settled in east Africa but moved to Britain during Idi Amin's rule in the Seventies and joined the large Gujarati community in Leicester. She says: "I knew absolutely nothing about looking after animals, or living in the country but I learnt quickly and Northern Ireland is now my home,"

The couple's main focus, at Glenside Farm, is on breeding, rearing and showing their pedigree Aberdeen Angus herd, with the Colville family's Glen Cowie prefix.. They've been successful at a number of major competitions, including the Balmoral and Royal Highland shows. They also keep a flock of Blue Texel and commerical sheep.

Malini is in charge of the community and social enterprise side of the farm. She says they decided to join the social farm network during the Covid lockdown when they realised how much people benefited from being out in nature. They host regular events and visits and organise some paying activities, such as wreath making and wool workshops, which help fund the social enterprise work. One of the most recent projects is the creation of a sensory garden and allotment.

Malini says: "It goes with the seasons. At lambing time, visitors may help with feeding the lambs.. They may collect eggs, feed the goats, see the cows and whatever else is going on.

"Refugees, in particular, benefit from visiting. Many come from rural areas and enjoy being out in open spaces and seeing farm life. Just being here for a couple of hours can make all the difference to someone so far from home and uncertain about their future."

Iain travels to London several times a month for court cases. "There are very few people who can make a living solely from farming," he says, "and I enjoy the work, the cut and thrust of legal argument. "

But his hopes and dreams are focused on his Aberdeen Angus herd back at Glenside. "Every breeder dreams that one day their bull will be the best the world has ever seen," he says hopefully.

Presented by Kathleen Carragher and produced by John Deering.