Our story…
This move feels like a re-anchoring of something much larger than ourselves.
The Featherby story is thick with the English church and land, stretching back over 800 years at least: our earliest record being a lease to a Knight Templar in 1185. We have farmed and prayed from Yorkshire to Cornwall ever since.
The late C20th added a South East chapter but a close relationship with the land and sea remained via our family farms in Cornwall. If we aren’t there, we’re usually in Seaview (Isle of Wight), where Beths’ family have had a base across four generations.
Beth & John’s story
We met on holiday at The Polurrian Hotel (Cornwall) when we were 14 years old, discovering we had overlapping social circles.
We built a close friendship across our school years via many calls from dormitory telephones, blossoming into a relationship at 18, marriage at 23 and four children in six years from 25.
We raised (until now) our family in Harpenden (Herts), just north of London, whilst visiting John’s family farm regularly throughout. We did live here briefly with our first baby and moving back has always been on the cards but the timing was never right, or agreed upon!
Part normal family dynamic
John’s career has centred around reviving the spirit of Britain’s great entrepreneurs who had a heart for social and environmental matters (Cadbury, Salt, Guinness, Wedgewood etc). And to do so via prosperous, all rounded companies, investment and movement building.
Beth raised the children full time, eventually qualifying as a mat and reformer pilates instructor after many years as a practitioner and fitness enthusiast.
A centre of gravity for us has been our faith and church life. John recently trained as a Spiritual Director at Spiritus Theological College and Beth has led prayer groups for many years.
Part missional way of life
We are actively involved in a range of alternative spaces, rooted in Christian theory and practice.
For example, we contribute to a global community of fellowship for senior politicians (with a focus on relationship building and peace making), and, a reconciliation and future forming project across Commonwealth civic and faith leaders.
Closer to our farm project, we have long been members of a working group of British farms and estates who want to explore how the Christian worldview can foster the flourishing of the land and its associated communities.
