Highfields Happy Hens: Farm that helped troubled teens to close

Roger Hosking said the farm had been in financial trouble for several years

A farm that supports wayward young people by teaching them agricultural skills is to close after running into financial trouble.

Highfields Happy Hens, in Derbyshire, began helping troubled children in 1984 and has since partnered with schools and youth offending services.

Owner Roger Hosking was made an MBE in 2010 for running the work and training project at the farm.

But the 76-year-old said debts had mounted up over the past few years.

Young people involved in the project were taught skills such as working with animals, handling money and dealing with customers as a means of boosting their self-respect.

The farm's work was featured on Songs of Praise last year

Mr Hosking, who set up the Etwall farm with his wife Beryl, said they had lost their way with paperwork and fewer schools had been working with them recently.

He said: "We had 30 children a week and we were getting them back to school.

"But then we started to get into trouble over paperwork, filling out forms, risk assessments, health and safety. We didn't do it properly and that was unacceptable.

"For the past two years I've been borrowing money to keep going and now we've got ourselves into trouble with the banks so the only thing to do is sell the farm."

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The farm, shop and tearooms are due to close to the public on 14 September, but the couple will retain their farmhouse along with "three or four acres" of land and hope to resume their work with troubled young people on a smaller scale in the future.

He said: "I'm 76 but age doesn't matter when it comes to loving people.

"But we've got to be realistic about money and paperwork. If we're going to do it again, we've got to do it properly."