This year marks an incredible thirty years since our Farm Manager, Mike Leflay joined our Ashe Warren Farm family.
As an instrumental member of our team, Mike is long overdue for a spot in our Hall of Fame and so we have taken it upon ourselves to delve further into just what makes him tick!
Born in Congleton, Cheshire, Mike moved with his family to the Marisow Estate (North of Plymouth) in 1975 when his father became Farm Manager for Lord Roborough.
With the land in his blood, Mike attended Agricultural College in Devon and then worked on various farms in Devon, Dorset and Somerset before taking a job at the Bossington Estate near Stockbridge.
(Bossington Estate is an iconic sporting estate on the River Test, and the birth-place of dry fly-fishing, and has played host to guests including the King of Norway, Neville Chamberlain, George Bush Snr. and Prince Charles.)
Famous faces aside, it was the agronomist for Bossington Estate who introduced Mike to David Hewetson-Brown (our current MD’s father) and the rest, as they say, is history!
Mike arrived to join the team at Ashe Warren Farm, our Hampshire site, in November 1992 and was instrumental in helping the Hewetson-Brown family establish the Wildflower Turf brand in 2003.
A fond memory for him is a wild claim from James Hewetson-Brown a year after Mike had joined the team. As they were both fixing an irrigation pump James confidently stated that “give it a couple of years and we will have turf all the way up to the next-door farm”. With only 15 beds in production at the time, Mike laughed heartily and declared, “not a chance”. However, it appears he was wrong!
Mike has always been fascinated with how things work. This has been a huge bonus for us as there is absolutely nothing that Mike cannot fix and he has developed much of the bespoke machinery that keeps us ahead of the game.
In terms of a ‘typical’ day, Mike will ensure that the production team have everything they need before looking to solve any urgent technical issues with either machinery or irrigation that cannot be fixed by someone else. The desk side of the job entails email catch-up, planning for expansion of production, machinery upgrades, and sourcing parts. (Some days Mike doesn’t get a chance to put down his spanner, and the next will see him in the office all day.)
Mike is married to Sarah, and Mollie, his Cocker-Spaniel adds to our lovely collection of Wildflower Turf dogs. When he’s not making sure our production sites are in tip-top shape, Mike enjoys shooting and stage rallying.
And the last word, on the eve of his thirty-year anniversary with us, should go to Mike.
When asked “What do you love about working for Wildflower Turf Ltd”, he responded: “The variety of different challenges and the people who work here. There is a great team in place and there is always someone to support you.”
Happy Anniversary Mike and thanks for all you do!