Theo Moye
Photo by Theo Moye 18/05/16 The Devon Farm Business Awards at the Devon County Show, Westpoint, Exeter. Best Woman in Farming Bridget Cole of Yelverton, pictured with Ian Burrow of sponsor Natwest.
Bridget Cole is a non-stop, full on powerhouse. The matriarch of a farming dynasty, who has worked tirelessly to promote farming in Devon.
Born at Ashbury near Northlew, Okehampton into a beef and sheep lowland farming family it was expected that she would give up her dream of becoming a teacher (despite being Head Girl at Okehampton Secondary ) and go into the family business. At a Young Farmers Candlelight Ball, she met Arnold Cole and they were married in 1971.
Arnold was also of farming stock; his grandfather moved to Greenwell Farm at Meavy in 1931, a tenant of Buckland Abbey Estate. Arnold’s father Henry later purchased the farm. As newlyweds they shared the draughty old farmhouse with Arnold’s parents and sister.
Upon retiring, Henry handed over the farm to the young couple on `Lady Day’ 1974 just after the birth of their second son. With just 20 cows and 100 ewes to start with, Bridget and Arnold with the help of their children have prudently built up their stock. Renting then buying land, keeping extra heifers and ewes for breeding they now have pockets of land from Meavy to Princetown to Tavistock with pedigree cattle and sheep along with a few ponies for the grandchildren.
In 1978 Bridget decided to make use of the empty rooms in the farmhouse and began what would become a very successful B&B business. As well as working full time on the farm, she and Arnold took contract work to raise a little extra money: logging, sheep shearing, hay making and land/farm management. They continued to diversify and gradually expanded the business, providing livestock for both television and film. Recently “Lambing Live” has become a popular, educational event at Greenwell.
As the Cole children grew Bridget and Arnold were keen for them to expand their horizons and experience the wider world. All three flew the nest only to return to the life they love and now all have a stake in the business. Arnold and Bridget moved in 2012 and their son Matthew and his family now live at Greenwell farm. Eldest son Neil manages the family’s business at Princetown and Samford Spiney whilst daughter Beverly, an accountant, helps in the office and her husband Graham is also a full time member of the team.
Bridget is a shrewd business woman and campaigner with a long list of projects she believes are important. A great deal of her time is given to promoting farming’s value in the community. She has worked closely with a number of groups applying for grants to help improve, modernise, market or promote rural/farm businesses and Dartmoor Commons. Working with many government agencies over decades, starting with Farm Stay UK and Devon Farms Accommodation, Bridget has promoted farm tourism. She is involved with hill farm policy development, and Europe wide Common land environment management policy believing that understanding modern farming methods is essential for a harmonious community.
Bridget is most definitely a force to be reckoned with and teaching’s loss is farming’s gain. A strong, independently minded woman in the farming industry well ahead of her time, it is no wonder that she was recently awarded “Best Woman in Farming 2016”.
Nichola Williams