'My cattle don't care I'm in Clarkson's choir'

Richard Heady has been involved in farm life ever since he could "lift a barrel".

His day job is tending hundreds of cows on his family's Buckinghamshire farm, a role he has undertaken full-time since he was 22.

But in May, the 39-year-old's life changed when the group he is part of, Hawkstone Farmers' Choir – put together by Jeremy Clarkson to support farmers with their mental health – won Britain's Got Talent.

"It's such a great feeling, and then you come back to the everyday life and the cattle couldn't care less what I've been up to," he said.

His family runs the WF Heady and Sons farm in Newton Longville, near Milton Keynes.

"We have beef cattle, we grow all of our own food for the cattle, our silage, beans and barley; then we also have arable crops: wheat for bread, oats for porridge and muesli," he said.

Heady said there had been times when the pressures of farm life had "gotten tough" for him.

"I've had a really good support network around me – I've changed things on the farm to make it slightly easier," he said.

"I do a lot of running, which helps clear my head. The key is just talking; opening up.

"It's so nice to have these breaks off the farm, catching up with friends, singing in unison – but then you come back to earth with a bump."

After the win, the choir announced it was donating £50,000 of its £250,000 prize money to five charities supporting farming, mental health, and rural communities.

"It's a community of farmers trying to do their best for the whole farming industry and we're so lucky that we can do that in a fun and kind of buoyant way," said Heady.

"It's a really hard message to get across but if we can do it by singing and just having a good time and spreading the message I just feel so honoured and lucky that we can do that."

Heady said the choir was made possible by its director, Lizzie Dean, from Milton Keynes, who was its "heart and soul".

"She completely took a bunch of farmers who were probably in their shells a bit, scared to show vulnerability, and she just pulled that out of us and just got us acting silly and sharing our stories and opening up," he said.

He does not think they would have made it past the first round without her.

Since the win the choir has released a song and announced a tour, which needs to be juggled with working life.

"I'm going to be working on the farm, evenings, mornings, and shooting off to try and do the shows and then shooting back as soon as I can to get back and finish doing the work," said Heady.

He said he was only able to do it with "fantastic family support".

"They've all had to step up and my wife's doing far more of the children's ferrying around.

"My dad and uncle are doing more than they should be doing because I should be the younger generation, taking on most of the work.

"I just owe them so much for helping me along this journey."

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