DO ANYTHING YOU PUT YOUR MIND TO

Meet Charlie Kifford, a 19-year-old with a great work ethic, who spoke to Orla McIlduff about why living with cerebral palsy won’t stop him from pursuing a career in farming

Jon Browning Growing up I grew up in Battle in East Sussex. I’m very close to my family, including my mum, stepdad, two sisters, grandad and nan. They have all helped me tremendously and I would not be able to do half the things I do without them.

My mum, and my sister, Helen, both worked on various farms while I was growing up. Helen had a couple of jersey cows that I helped with, and there was one called Buttercup who I exhibited at local agricultural shows. Unfortunately, as is the case in many herds, she tested positive for TB last year. It was a massive tragedy, because she was one of the main reasons I got into farming.

I managed to buy three bottle-fed lambs in 2016 and keep them at a friend’s farm, and this was when I realised my career in farming was unwavering. As my knowledge and interest developed, my mum brought me a pedigree Kerry Hill ewe lamb, which I went on to breed, show and even obtain Champion Young Handler with at the Heathfield Agricultural Show in 2017.

In September 2018, I started at Bexhill College where I studied animal management, food technology, and criminology – just because I found it interesting. I had a day off from college, so I got a voluntary job on a dairy farm that I enjoyed. I was there for about a year where I progressed up to milking on my own and carrying out tractor operations.

Since September 2020 I’ve been doing a Level 3 Agricultural Diploma at Plumpton College, which I really enjoy. It’s opened lots of doors for me, including a gap

year placement at the college farm, and I recently received an off er to work in the dairy department, covering for when they are short staff ed.

Living with cerebral palsy I always say it looks like I’m drunk to break the ice with people that I’ve not met before, but really I just have cerebral palsy, which aff ects my mobility and speech.

Cerebral palsy (CP) is a result of being starved of oxygen at some point in your life, and leads to parts of the brain deteriorating. In my case, my birth was traumatic and I was starved of oxygen. It aff ects muscle tone, mobility and also mental ability. I am lucky not to be in a wheelchair like many with CP are. I am also lucky my mental ability is not aff ected and I have achieved top grades in school and at college.

However, my disability aff ects me at work on the farm. It causes me to become more tired than people without CP as my muscles have to work a lot harder to keep me upright and generally moving around. I struggle with fi ne motor skills – for example, tying knots. Everything takes me longer and I have to admit I do worry about it, but that won’t change as CP is for life.

That said, I do really enjoy my work and get a lot of satisfaction out of completing tasks independently. My tiredness frustrates me but I have to manage it, keep to my limits and make sure I get enough sleep. I get muscle pain especially in my legs in the evening and sometimes terrible cramp, which is very

uncomfortable, but none of this will stop me from farming.

I do worry what people think and if I am good enough. I have to ask for reassurance sometimes, as I want to make sure I am doing well. The college staff , including Flavian Obiero (pictured with Charlie, above), have been really supportive of me.

I think it’s important to believe that whatever your dreams or career goals are, they can be achieved. I don’t like saying I can’t do something; you can always learn to do things, whatever your ability.

Flying the fl ag I don’t see much representation of people with disabilities in the agriculture industry, but I don’t think people should be put off . It doesn’t matter what you struggle with on the farm, just the fact that you’re interested and want to have a career in farming is the most important thing. Farming is open to everyone and there are ways around things. In other words, just because you are disabled, it doesn’t mean that you can’t get into farming. It would be good to see more representation of people with disability as getting recognition can be hard, and this is the case in all aspects of life, not just employment. I don’t want sympathy but I would love to feel more included and for disabilities to be understood.

What tips would I give to someone with a disability who wants to get into farming? Just go for it! There shouldn’t be anything to stop you if you have the right mindset. I think that being disabled has made me super conscientious because I want to do the job as well as, or better than, someone who has no disability, in order to break the stigma that we can’t do it.

Future career I would love to be in a secure job where I’m valued, and in a respectable position with some responsibility of the stock, either on a sheep farm or on a dairy farm. I enjoy sharing my knowledge and experiences of being on farm, so I hope I can give talks to children to raise awareness of the importance of farming. I feel that food is something taken for granted and that farming is underrepresented in schools.

I think that it’s important for me to keep an open mind as I never know what is round the corner and I’m keen to embrace opportunities whenever they arise.