Tithe maps of the parish of Loxbeare, dating back to the 1840's, show all the fields with their individual names. Ours is 'Clay Park' and been in our family since 1975. Over the years my wife Barbara and I raised our family of five sons here, kept pigs, goats, raised turkeys for Christmas and a wonderful Jersey house cow - oh - and a flock of Finn/Dorset sheep. Then came an alpaca - just one, but from the one there comes the two, and from the two comes the three, and from the thee there comes all things. This year should bring us up to thirteen, I say 'us' but sadly cancer took Barbara in 2005.

My aim is for Suri's with a lustrous rich ruby colour fleece, reminiscent of our local red Devon soil in fact 'Ruby-Suris'. Here is Ruby Leader at one day old.  

The countryside and it's wildlife is exceptionally important at Clay Park I am part of the Environmental Stewardship Scheme keeping hedges, ditches and headlands free from disturbance.

I don't use artificial fertilisers, weeds are controlled by hand pulling particularly of docks  and creeping thistles, we are totally clear of the dreaded ragwort.

Organic status would be good but unfortunately the registration fees are prohibitive.