Helen and Darren Penna : Commoners, Dartmoor

Helen and Darren Penna

East Okement Farm, north Dartmoor

Dartmoor’s highest farm, at 1300 feet above sea level.

Unusually, the farm’s Herdwick sheep lamb out on the common; most farmers bring their ewes into newtakes, intakes or inbyes (walled enclosures) for lambing.

The Pennas have rights to graze their animals to Okehampton Common, Belstone Common and The Forest of Dartmoor

“I think people need to see that farming is a family thing, to see how many family members are involved. Our boys go to the local primary school. In Joshua’s year group, there’s 90 children - I think he’s the only one who comes from a farming family.”

Helen and Daren Penna work one of the highest farms in Dartmoor. East Okement Farm is surrounded by high windswept moors on the northern edge of the National Park. Living and working here requires hardiness, from people and from animals - it’s frequently cold, almost always windy, and often wet. On days when the sky is clear, though, the views stretch over the moors, and for miles and miles across the greener lowlands. It’s as beautiful as it is tough.

Helen is the third generation of her family to farm at East Okement Farm, which is owned by the Duchy of Cornwall Estate and rented to her family by the Ministry of Defence. Helen’s father John, who now lives down the hill in Okehampton, still helps out, although Helen and Darren are gradually taking over, adapting the farm and the animals they keep to suit their plans going forwards.

Helen didn’t plan to take on the farm but when she got together with Darren, he was very keen - Darren laughs as he tells us it was all his fault! At present they work together to run the farm: Helen works away five days a week, helping out evenings and weekends, in a balance that suits her well. Darren spends more time on the farm (with another job three days of the week). It’s a busy life, with farming fitting in any time it can: ‘Early mornings, before breakfast, before the school run, and late finishes, every day.’ Helen’s father John, who now lives down the hill in Okehampton, still helps out, although Helen and Darren are gradually taking over, adapting the farm and the animals they keep to suit their plans going forwards.

Helen and Darren - with help from their older son Joshua - will be capturing snapshots of daily life using a GoPro camera during 2022. They want people to know more about upland farming and commoning, from the perspective of younger generations. ‘The average age of farmers is 60-something,’ says Helen, who is in her thirties. ‘I think people need to see that farming is a family thing, and see how many family members are involved. We are in a rural area but so many people don't know enough about farming. In Joshua's year group at school, there are ninety children - I think he's the only one who comes from a farming family. So to be involved in something that can show what we are doing and how that interacts with the public, be it people walking on the moor, or doing Ten Tors, or Duke of Edinburgh Award - I think it's really important.’ Darren completely agrees, and adds ‘I think there’s too much negative press about farming. You just need to get a few more voices out there.’

As soon as you step out of the yard gate of East Okement Farm, you’re out among the tougher ground of Oakhampton Common. ‘We're lucky compared to other local farmers. We're so close to the common, we can keep an eye on our stock more easily, and get to it straight away. We have a closer relationship with the common,’ says Darren.

Thinking of what’s ahead the Pennas can plan for some challenges, but will need to be constantly adapting, balancing the books and making changes. ‘We have a generator for electric, a borehole for our water and a gas fridge because the electric’s not on all the time. We've adapted the shed lights to LED low energy lighting, which is a lot brighter and uses a lot less power, but you can't have everything on at once - it's just something you get used to.’ It’s part of the harshness of living up here, but also part of its simplicity, where people, land, weather and animals all work together. Helen and Darren both find it rewarding.

‘We do it because it's a nice place to bring our children up,’ says Helen. ‘It's how I was brought up and it's lovely for them to have the freedom. I think my boys were quite lucky in lockdown because they had plenty of space to run around and to be in the fresh air. Some of their friends live in flats, or houses with very small gardens. I think they struggled, but we were fortunate. But yeah, farming can be quite a struggle!’

Short clips from Helen and Darren will be appearing on the website as the year unfolds - pleasures, challenges, struggles, sunshine, rain, lambing, shearing and more.