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The Tarland farm that will transform thousands of lives – and the most touching £10k donation

Ian McCombie's £10k will be used to build a workshop named after him at Tarland.

A man and woman in their 50s leaning on a farm gate looking towards the camera and smiling.
Mike Duxbury and Ness Shillito are setting up a new farm where disabled people can get training, education and jobs. Image: Darrell Benns/DC Thomson

It might not be obvious yet, but 20-odd acres of something amazing is about to come to Aberdeenshire.

Inclusive Farm Scotland at MacRobert is its full, Sunday name.

And founder and CEO Mike Duxbury says it’s a place where hundreds of people with disabilities, disadvantages and challenges can come to change their lives.

He hopes the working farm, near Tarland, will give people who struggle in school or in the workplace, for whatever reason, a safe space to learn life skills and maybe even find a career.

And Mike himself is an inspiring example of practising what you preach. He was the first blind person to go to agricultural college in the UK, and has been involved in farming one way or another all his life.

What makes this new project even more special is how it brought together two brave men.

While Mike and his team work through getting the farm ready for a September launch, their efforts came to the attention of local man Ian McCombie.

Ian recently had the devastating news that he was terminally ill with a brain tumour.

He donated £10,000 to the cause – and now a workshop at the new farm will be named after him.

Mike said: “What Ian has done has been amazing. He’s a remarkable individual.

“He recognised the importance of what we need to do.”

Mike and Ness smiling at the camera in a roofless outbuilding
Mike and Ness want to change lives. Image: Darrell Benns/DC Thomson

What is Inclusive Farm Scotland?

Inclusive Farm Scotland at MacRobert is a big name to live up to – but the plans so far are showing all the signs of doing just that.

Mike and his partner Ness Shillito, both 57, have moved lock, stock and barrel to Aberdeenshire to set up the ambitious project.

Spoiler alert: they have done it before, in Bedfordshire, in 2021. And it worked.

Mike said: “When this is up and running, it will be a hell of a facility for Scotland.

“We have a little farm in Bedfordshire and it helps about 20 people a week.

“But Tarland is much bigger and I reckon we’ll be getting 100 people through a week within a couple of years.”

He came up to the Royal Highland Show to give a talk about the English project in 2023. Within weeks, the MacRobert Trust had provided land for a north east version.

Mike suffered from glaucoma and lost his sight at the age of six. But far from it holding him back, he is convinced it’s part of the reason Inclusive Farm works.

Mike knows what needs to be done. Image: Darrell Benns/DC Thomson

He said: “The reason why it works is because it’s from my perspective. It’s usually able-bodied doing this sort of thing for disabled people.

“No pun intended, but I see things that other people miss.

“People like myself want jobs – we want to work. We just don’t have the routes in.

“We might do it differently, we maybe can’t do everything – but isn’t that the case for all of us?”

A ‘phenomenal’ donation

When local man Ian McCombie, 54, discovered he had terminal cancer, he would have been forgiven for only thinking of himself.

But instead, the Tarland man found himself getting behind a cause that would already have been close to his heart – but became even more relevant after his diagnosis.

A lifelong Tarland resident, Ian has a love for formula one racing and a passion for County Tractors, which he has shown successfully for a number of years.

Physically affected by his brain tumour, Ian said he realised how it felt to be disabled and have restrictions on his life.

In addition to that, Ian’s family’s connection to the area goes back 200 years – as his father and grandfather both worked for the MacRobert Estate.

He was moved not only by the charity’s aim to support people with disability and difference, but also his close connection with the charity’s new farm.

Ian and Mike sitting down and smiling at each other. Ian has a cap on and is holding a giant cheque.
Ian with the generous cheque for Mike. Image: Inclusive Farm Scotland at MacRobert

Ian decided to support Inclusive Farm Scotland at MacRobert and help make a real difference in the lives of people with disability and difference.

Mike told how he and Ian spent three hours in hospital chatting about the donation.

The result will be The Ian McCombie Workshop, full of tools bought with Ian’s donation, with a plaque made by a local stonemason.

Mike said: “We want something that lives on.

“What he has done is phenomenal, there’s no two ways about it.

“Ian has had the rug pulled from under him and what he’s doing is amazing.

“I just wish to God more people would do something like this.”

What next for Inclusive Farm?

Mike is hopeful of rolling out the project to other parts of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland – and he has had interest from overseas.

He said: “These are real people with feelings, with hopes and dreams – like all of us.

“We all want to be able to pay our bills and feed our families. We all want the same opportunities.”

The farm will be open to everyone.

Mike added: “We look at anybody in need of help, it’s not just about disability. Maybe parents needing respite, might be kids struggling at school.

“We have a college that comes every week down south.

“We just want to give people a chance to be themselves. This will be an environment where they can come in and be safe, but still hands on.”

Mike and Ness, a couple in their 50s, sitting on a wall at the farm site at Tarland.
Mike and Ness are getting there. Image: Darrell Benns/DC Thomson

Mike’s final thoughts will strike a chord with any parent who worries about their child (so every parent, really).

He said: “Something that parents worry about is what will happen when they’re gone. That’s what we can help with.

“We can help people learn how to cope and survive in the world. That’s what I’m here to do.

“Confidence is all it takes.”

If you are interested in learning more about, or donating to, Inclusive Farm Scotland at MacRobert then please visit the website.

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