Hefted! Upland Farming Heritage in the Cheviots is a podcast series about hill farming heritage in the Cheviot Hills. This episode shares more about how farming work in the hills is done, and who does it. We explore the collective ways of working that were very common until relatively recently, as well as more individual practices that have emerged from the social, political economic, and technological changes of the 20th century.

Over this period, the number of young people starting their careers as shepherds and hill farmers has declined. But in this episode we hear about the many different ways in which younger people are adapting to new circumstances, developing creative new ways of managing the land and learning the skills they need.

This series was produced by Olivia Oldham-Dorrington, in partnership with Durham University and with funding from the Arts and Humanities Research Council (grant AH/Z507520/1).

The music was composed and performed by ⁠Alistair Anderson⁠, and our series artwork is by ⁠Anthea Wood⁠. Thank you also to Caroline Smith for her help with research, and to Chris Dalglish and Chris Gerrard for their contributions.

Links and resources

• “Breaking the Grass Ceiling”: Challenges Women Experience in the Local Agriculture Sector. Committee for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, Northern Ireland Assembly, 2022.
• Agricultural workforce in England at 1 June, 2025. Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, 2025.
• How Can Storytelling Help Restore Mires? Applying Place-lore Fieldwork Methodology in Ecological Restoration. Päll, L and Pungas-Kohv, P, 2024.