A teenage sheepdog handler from north Wales hopes to encourage others into farming as she prepares to become one of Britain’s youngest farmers. Erin Fflur McNaught, 17, will take over Pandy Farm, her family’s 250-acre beef and sheep holding at Rhos-y-Gwaliau, when her grandfather retires next year. The teenager, who has also successfully bred two litters of her dogs, wants to inspire other young people and explained that “it would be nice to see more females as well”.

Last autumn Erin became one of the first women to win the One Man and His Dog trophy while competing against the best shepherds in the UK. “I feel there is no difference at all being a man or a woman farming”, she said. “I do sometimes feel I have to prove I’m capable of doing things. People don’t expect me to be able to drive a tractor, but it is something I have always done.”