Mrs Jill Edwards

Jill, and her husband and youngest son, live and work on the family 600-acre Exmoor hill farm running a herd of Aberdeen Angus cattle and a flock of Cheviot sheep. There is also a 12-acre camping ground and six self-catering cottages. Jill grew up in Essex and graduated as a teacher in West Sussex before taking a gap year in Australia and USA, mostly working on sheep stations or as a nanny. Since settling on Exmoor in 1981, when she married Oliver, Jill has juggled family life – she has three children and two grandchildren – with the farm business, her contact teacher role at Exford School and supply teaching across West Somerset schools. She was a governor at the West Somerset College for many years and served on the committee of the Somerset Dyslexia Association, which she continues to support.

Jill is a member of Exford PCC and supports Exmoor Hill Farming Network’s Women in Farming events. As a trustee of The Exmoor Society, Jill leads on education, awards and competitions. A keen horsewoman in her youth, Jill fills what little free time remains tending the garden and walking her dogs. With her family now grown-up and married, she has been able to attend art classes during the quieter winter months, having studied the subject at college. ‘Reading a book is still a luxury,’ she says, ‘A unread pile sits by the side of my bed – a promise of things to come!’