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27th April 202023rd April 2020

Old Family Farming Diaries Rediscovered!

by Hannah Baldwick
0
Old Family Farming Diaries Rediscovered!

The recent return of old farming diaries to the company has been cause for great delight, after 25 years out of the family.Albert's Diary

The Becketts Farm you know and love today would not be here without the author of these diaries, Albert Edward Beckett. Albert moved his small dairy herd from Shropshire to Wythall in 1937. By doing this, he laid the foundations for this family business, which continues to thrive today under the ownership and direction of his grandson, Simon.

During the 1940s-70s Albert kept four detailed day diaries, which have recently come back into the family’s possession. These extraordinary diaries detail the daily life of a farmer through an extensive part of the 20th century.

The diaries span much of Albert’s adult life. They include family celebrations such as weddings and birthdays, but also tragedy and difficult times, like the loss of his only daughter.

Farming through the war, Albert records his discharge from the Home Guard for agricultural duties; changes of use for local land in order to scale-up production to feed wartime Britain, including farming the golf course; prisoners of war working as farmhands and labourers; and wonderful detail of the V.E. Day celebrations in the village.

Recreating the diaries

diariesThe diaries have been professionally copied. It is exciting to say that these diaries will soon be on display in the Farm Shop. The rich local and family business history will be available for you to see.Β 

The process of recreating the diaries was especially difficult by their delicate condition. The eldest book is 75 years old! To recreate the diaries, firstly, pages were professionally photographed individually using a bespoke-made wooden cradle for the delicate books to rest in. Over Albert's Diaries2500 pages were photographed one-by-one by local photographer Matt Saunders from Matt Saunders Photography Ltd. Each photo then had to be carefully edited and cropped by a design team. Finally, Leamington-based Emmerson Print worked to create hardback, linen-bound copies.

Speaking of bringing these diaries back to life, Simon said: β€œMy father, Alan celebrated his 90th birthday on 7th April this year. This project and the temporary return of the diaries was a secret from my father until that date. For my Dad to receive copies of his father’s daily musings and farming records has brought immeasurable joy. I am sure he will enjoy hours of re-living family memories and sharing the stories with his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren as snippets of the diary jog his own memory. He’s already been doing so over the phone, bringing the characters to life in such a wonderful way.”

A copy of each diary will be in the Farm Shop for customers to see and read.

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Stuck for gift ideas for that budding chef in your Stuck for gift ideas for that budding chef in your life? How about a cookery experience at our on-site cookery school? With over 15 courses to choose from and a whole host of knowledge waiting for them, what’s not to love!? 
Either book them onto a specific course like Cook a Curry, Thai or Caribbean or buy them an open voucher which is valid for 6 months and can be redeemed on any of our courses. 
Find out more and purchase online through the link in our bio (Christmas Vouchers) 😁

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JOIN US! For our Christmas Tasting Afternoon later JOIN US! For our Christmas Tasting Afternoon later this week πŸŽ…πŸŽ„β˜ƒοΈ
πŸ“… This Thursday, 7th December 
⏲️ 12pm – 4pm 
Sample some of our tastiest festive fare and meet the producers. We hope you’ll be tempted to stock up on delicious local wines, cheeses, chutneys, jams, beers, cakes and much more for your Christmas table this year 😁

#beckettsfarm #farmshop #festivetastingafternoon #christmasevent #festivefare #wearebecketts
Oh Christmas tree, Oh Christmas tree…. How lovel Oh Christmas tree, Oh Christmas tree…. How lovely are you! 
Thank you to our friends over at @smarttreesgrotto for supplying us with this fab tree πŸŽ„πŸŽ„ It looks great outside the entrance of our Farm Shop. 

#beckettsfarm #christmastree #christmasatbecketts #christmasiscoming #christmasdecorations #smarttrees
Roses are red, violets are blue, we love our beaut Roses are red, violets are blue, we love our beautiful gift hampers and hope you do too! 🎁😍
We have a great selection of Christmas gift hampers for sale in our Farm Shop. Did you know? We offer a bespoke hamper wrapping service too? Simply pick the hamper contents or value and our knowledgeable team will create the perfect gift for you. 😁

#beckettsfarm #farmshop #gifthampers #christmasgifthampers #christmasgifts #foodhampers #christmasgiftinspiration #giftinspo #gifts #giftsforher #giftsforhim #giftsforcouples
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Stuck for gift ideas for that budding chef in your life? How about a cookery experience at our on-site cookery school? With over 15 courses to choose from and a whole host of knowledge waiting for them, what’s not to love!? Either book them onto a specific course like Cook a Curry, Thai or Caribbean or buy them an open voucher which is valid for 6 months and can be redeemed on any of our courses. Find out more and purchase online here – ow.ly/fetu50QcUtk ... See MoreSee Less

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JOIN US! For our Christmas Tasting Afternoon later this week πŸŽ…πŸŽ„β˜ƒοΈπŸ“… This Thursday, 7th December ⏲️ 12pm – 4pm Sample some of our tastiest festive fare and meet the producers. We hope you’ll be tempted to stock up on delicious local wines, cheeses, chutneys, jams, beers, cakes and much more for your Christmas table this year 😁ow.ly/LnOb50QcUNn ... See MoreSee Less

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Oh Christmas tree, Oh Christmas tree…. How lovely are you! Thank you to our friends over at @smarttreesgrotto for supplying us with this fab tree πŸŽ„πŸŽ„ It looks great outside the entrance of our Farm Shop. ... See MoreSee Less

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Becketts Farm

3 days ago

Becketts Farm
Roses are red, violets are blue, we love our beautiful gift hampers and hope you do too! 🎁😍We have a great selection of Christmas gift hampers for sale in our Farm Shop. Did you know? We offer a bespoke hamper wrapping service too? Simply pick the hamper contents or value and our knowledgeable team will create the perfect gift for you. 😁Click here to find out more - www.beckettsfarm.co.uk/christmas/christmas-hampers/ ... See MoreSee Less

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It’s competition time!πŸ‘ We are giving one lucky family the chance to win a Boxing Day breakfast hamper! This fab hamper is filled with all the delicious produce you need to put on a breakfast spread for the whole family. πŸ₯“πŸ³πŸ„β˜•πŸͺ To be in with the chance to win, all you need to do is fill out your details on the link below πŸ‘‡Competition closes on Monday 11th December at 10am and the winner will be drawn and contacted shortly after. Full T&Cs apply. Visit our website for more information. Good luck! 🀞Enter online here - ow.ly/hLIE50QcT79 ... See MoreSee Less

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Becketts have been farming in Wythall - just south of Birmingham - for 80 years and our mission is to bring both fresh food and farming closer to the people.Β 

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