Kelvin Fletcher has revealed some of his concerns ahead of the Royal Cheshire Show but said he is hopeful that his family can do well after they won prizes last year
Kelvin Fletcher has admitted he feels “nervous” as he and his family continue preparing for the Royal Cheshire Show.
In the latest episode of Fletcher Family Farm, the 41-year-old actor, who played Andy Sugden in Emmerdale from 1996 until 2016, admitted he feels a strong sense of responsibility towards his children. Kelvin shares daughter Marnie and sons Milo, Maximus and Mateusz with his wife Liz Marsland.
The family swapped their city life to live on a farm in the Peak District, and they are now preparing their animals for the major show. The dad-of-four said he his preparing to take their calves to the event, but said he also feels “a little bit nervous” as his children will also participate in the show, competing in the categories for young people.
Last year, the actor and his son Milo won the Junior Native Champion at the agricultural show, which is organised by the Cheshire Agricultural Society, while their bull calf, Ray, won the Best In Class award in 2024. The family has also won rosettes for their sheep and cows, with their win being celebrated by viewers of their ITV show.
“You’re kind of up against it, really, especially the kids are going to be in the show themselves,” Kelvin admitted, as he reflected: “You’ve got a responsibility as an adult, as a parent, to work out how much you push them out of their comfort zone.”
He said: “Last year we didn’t even own calves until six weeks before the show and we came home as rosette winners, so I’m not throwing in the towel yet.” However, he then added that “there’s no way” that the family’s young calves are ready to be led by the kids yet.
“So I’m going to keep training and experimenting with a few new tricks to get them working well,” he said. Kelvin also revealed he has torn his bicep, which is adding to his family’s worries, as he may need help in leading Ray at the show.
In a conversation with his wife, he admitted his arm is “really sore” and said he has been wondering whether she should be leading the animals instead. “You’ll be fine,” he told Liz, but she appeared unsure. “Let’s just see,” he told her, while asking her to be on standby in case he doesn’t feel confident.
“I feel underprepared,” Liz admitted, sharing her concerns about how Ray would react to other bulls at the show. Despite her concerns, Liz said she feels ready to “step up” if needed.
It comes days after Kelvin viewers that running the farm smoothly has recently had its fair share of “challenges” while giving an update on the farmhouse fire. He said: “We’ve had a lot of upheaval in our lives after a fire in the farmhouse meant we had to move into temporary rented accommodation.
“While I don’t want to add extra stress, there’s one event in the farming calendar I think is worth adding to our to-do list.” The fire happened last October, when the family were enjoying their first time away as a family of six. Receiving a call from their neighbour about the blaze, the pair discovered the home was uninhabitable, forcing them to leave temporarily.
During an appearance on This Morning, Kelvin commented: “It was heartbreaking. We got back, and we obviously weren’t there, so we weren’t harmed, and the animals were ok. For us, we took great positives in the fact that we weren’t hurt. It’s just a huge inconvenience; the restorations have started, so there’s light at the end of the tunnel.”
Fletcher Family Farm documents the actor and his family’s life on their 120-acre farm. The show documents the family’s mishaps and challenges while running the farm.
