A RETIRED farmer from Ingleton attributed his longevity to a healthy outdoor lifestyle as he celebrated his 100th birthday last week.
Alan Wedgewood marked his centenary trip around the sun with a tea party at Walworth Castle on Friday, April 26, with wife Julie and a group of friends.
Mr Wedgewood was the oldest of three children born to Matthew and Audrey Wedgewood of Binchester Hall Farm, near Bishop Auckland.
He attended St Anne’s School before moving on to Cockton Hill School. After school he was among the first students to be admitted to Houghall College to study agriculture.
Mr Wedgewood said: “Then the Second World War started. We were a reserved occupation in those days and I was an auxiliary fireman during the war. I never went to a fire actually – we were too far away and too isolated. The farmhouse was miles away from any livelihood.”
His wife quipped: “By the time you got there on your pony and trap the fire would have been out.”
When Mr Wedgewood took over the farm, which had been managed by his father and grandfather before him, he introduced Aberdeen Angus cattle, which were serviced initially by Hereford bulls and later by Limousins.
He also met his first wife Anne, who had been an Army landgirl during the war. Sadly, she died in 1965.
He then met Julie at a bonfire event on the family farm.
Mr Wedgewood said: “On a farm you gradually collect a lot of rubbish and just burn it, so we got into the habit of keeping it and having a bonfire night.”
For protection the farmer always kept a dog close by, with Ben, a rottweiler, being his companion in the last years before his retirement.
Of particular concern were drug users visiting a nearby river, and metal-detectorists attracted by the nearby Roman fort.
He said: “I used to turf them off. I didn’t want the land digging up and if they turned on me, with two or three of them I wouldn’t have a chance, but when I had Ben with me – and he was a big dog he weighed ten stone – [they didn’t dare].”
Another source of irritation was the fox hunt, which he refused to allow on his land.
Mr Wedgewood said: “I never shot a fox in my life. They have as much right to this land as we do and if they aren’t doing any damage, what is the point in shooting them? If a fox gets your hens, well it’s your fault for not having your hens fastened up overnight.”
His first move away from the farm was in October 1995 when he, his wife and dog Ben retired to Ingleton.
He said: “I was 73 when I packed in farming.
“When I got to 73, I could tell that I wasn’t doing justice to the livestock, and if you have livestock, that is your income.
“Ben never had a lead on when he was at the farm, but he had to here, that was a shock to him.”
The couple bought a motorhome after the move, and spent two weeks of every month touring Scotland, particularly the Outer Hebrides, and Ireland so that Mr Wedgewood could pursue his love for landscape photography.
Unfortunately, just before Christmas in 2022 he had a fall at home and was hospitalised for several weeks and contracted Covid-19.
He said: “It is only since Covid and the broken hip that I’ve stopped photography because I can’t walk [far].”
Of his otherwise long and healthy life, he said: “Why just a healthy outdoor life all the time, I mean when we came here, I walked every day because we had a dog come with me – he took up a lot of time exercising.”
