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Emily standing by a red tractor with her dad's name on it.

Britain’s Fittest Farmer supports Care this Christmas

Britain’s Fittest Farmer, Emily Meakin – recently crowned Women Under 40 champion at Jeremy Clarkson’s pub, The Farmer’s Dog – is supporting our Care this Christmas fundraising.

Britain’s Fittest Farmer, Emily Meakin – recently crowned Women Under 40 champion at Jeremy Clarkson’s pub, The Farmer’s Dog – is supporting our Care this Christmas appeal.

She shares how our care helped her dad, John, spend his final Christmas at home with his family.

At home for Christmas

When Staffordshire farmer John Meakin was diagnosed with cancer, his daughters, Emily and Isobelle, were determined he would spend his last Christmas in the place he loved most – the family’s Far Coley Farm in Little Haywood.

Emily at Far Coley Farm

With our care and support, that wish came true. The Hospice at Home team and Palliative Care Nurse Specialists enabled John to stay at home, surrounded by his family and the land he cherished.

A family group of adults standing around a table set for dinner with Christmas decorations around the room
Emily smiling as she sits in the conservatory at Far Coley Farm
Katharine House Hospice helped us in so many ways.
Dad had a hospital bed next to the Aga in the farmhouse, where it was warm, cosy and always full of visitors.

Christmas Day was brilliant – the hospice made sure we had all his medicines and arranged night sits so I could rest, knowing Dad was safe. That meant I could make the most of our last Christmas together.”

It meant everything to us. Dad was exactly where he wanted to be. We wouldn’t have those magical memories without Katharine House Hospice.
Emily Meakin

Throughout John’s illness and after he died, our Family Support Team offered Emily and Isobelle emotional support, helping them face both his diagnosis and their grief.

Left to right – Isobelle Meakin (daughter) Pat Meakin (John’s sister), John Meakin Arthur Brearly (family friend) and Emily Meakin

Honouring her dad’s dream

Today, Emily is transforming Far Coley Farm into a luxury wedding and events venue, complete with lakes her dad dug himself.

“Every development here is part of Dad’s dream,” she says. “I still wear his gilet and drive his Manitou, which he proudly labelled with his name – it keeps him close.”

“You never know…”

Emily is not only the Fittest Farmer, she is also one of our Fab Fundraisers. In 2022 she raised over £1,000 for us by organising a Tractor Run with Staffordshire Young Farmers. More recently, she held a Summer Soirée at Far Coley Farm, resulting in a further £500.

She is now urging the people of Stafford to join her by taking part in our latest fundraising appeal.

“You never know when you, or someone you love, might need their care.”

As part of our Care this Christmas appeal, we are asking people to help more families like the Meakins receive the same comfort and compassion when they need it most.