Alister was born onto a hill farm in the Scottish borders where they ran Scotch Blackfaces and Mules on a traditional stratification system with the Scotch Blackfaces lambing outside. His earliest memories of life on the farm include branding horns and gathering the hill.

In 2017, he was a National Sheep Association (NSA) Next Generation Ambassador (a UK initiative to help strengthen the sheep sector) and is currently a NSA Scotland Committee member, attending stakeholder meetings and voting on key industry issues. Alister is also on the Scottish Borders Lleyn Committee and has judged on their behalf together with also being on the Lleyn Next Generation Committee Group involved with breed promotion.

Prior to being awarded the Cragg House Farm tenancy, Alister was farm manager of a 2000 acre mixed beef/sheep and arable farm on the outskirts of Lockerbie; a farming enterprise compromising of 1500 breeding ewes and contract enterprise raising batches of 100 calves from 100 kg to finishing.

Rachel’s family have always farmed across the Lake District and can be traced back at least seven generations. Her personal experience of sheep started back in 2001 when Stanley Jackson’s wintering Herdwick ewes from Nook Farm became isolated at Dancing Gate during the foot and mouth outbreak. Rachel assisted her mum and grandad in lambing the ewes and as a result a few of them never returned back to Borrowdale - instead they became the foundation ewes for their new commercial flock.

Alongside her full-time local teaching position in a nearby village, Rach is passionate about native breeds and has been a part of the prestigious Derwent Flock for over a decade. Pedigree stock from the flock have been sold across the UK and competed at and won prizes at major shows including the Great Yorkshire Show. The flock works alongside a local abattoir and butcher to produce meat boxes from the stock that does not meet the relevant breed standards. Further value is added through the production of wool products from the raw fleeces.

Rachel is experienced in producing marketing and social media content to document activities on the farm or create educational/event materials thanks to her degree in Graphic Design. Up until September 2021 she established and managed the Shetland Sheep Society website alongside editing and producing their quarterly breed magazine.

Rachel is a member of the Kerry Hill Flock Book Society Council and is a society approved Show Judge as well as a Shetland Sheep Society Ram Inspector and Show Judge - Judging appointments take place at shows across the UK. She is actively involved with the Rare Breed Survival Trust Cumbria Support Group - especially the annual Country Fest Young Shepherd event.
In her spare time, Rachel is also a British Cycling Mountain Bike Leader and Mountain Bike Coach whilst also being in the process of writing and illustrating her own recipe book based on her homegrown produce!

At 6 years old, Jacob is the youngest member of the team and loves to get stuck in wherever he can! He has spent his last few birthdays building up his own flock of Herdwick sheep who you will likely meet around the farm. They are called Heaven, Heather, Daffodil & Snowdrop. Snowdrop won him is first rosette for showing Herdwicks at Buttermere Shepherds Meet in October 2023. He also has a couple of Kerry Hills too: Champagne & Disney and an Oxford Sandy and Black breeding gilt who he christened Hazelnut!