Mixing business with biodiversity

With busy careers spanning coaching, presentation training, art, TV and film production, Barnaby Spurrier and Jill Meager were excited when they bought Torhill Farm on Dartmoor in 2008, their perfect ‘escape’.

They rebuilt the derelict farmhouse and intended to run the 60 acres of beautiful Dartmoor countryside as a hobby. However, as their land regeneration project gathered pace, it became clear that the hobby was fast becoming a business.

 

From a wilderness to a species-rich habitat

The couple were keen to create an area rich in biodiversity. They have put a lot of effort into creating an environment that allows all aspects of nature to thrive, from grazing the land with local cattle, sheep, and ponies to creating habitats for a vast array of moorland birds, animals and invertebrates, not to mention the development of a range of different plants and grasses, including rare orchids.

 

Down to business

When they are not enjoying Torhill Farm's wonders, the couple spends a lot of time working in their businesses in London or overseas. Barnaby is a filmmaker and producer, which takes him all over the world. He and Jill own ‘Spirit Base’, a business offering Barnaby’s filmmaking services, alongside Jill’s expertise to help people improve their communication and presentation skills. She coaches people on how to write and deliver excellent speeches and manages their media appearances. Her clients include mainstream political parties, large corporate businesses and entrepreneurs in the creative and media sectors.

As with any freelancing or small business, the couple recognises that maintaining continuity of work is one of the hardest things to manage when you work for yourself. Running their businesses alongside the farm has, at times, also been a challenge, but it is one that both of them relish.

 

Drawing inspiration from the farm

Before starting Spirit Base, Jill was an actor and a stand-up comedian. She appeared in many films, including the Bond film Never Say Never Again. She also starred in the TV dramas Bergerac, Taggart, Hannay, and played the leading role in the ever popular Miss Marple film The 4:50 from Paddington. She has also developed a separate business as a hugely successful wildlife artist - the rich biodiversity surrounding Torhill Farm has provided a superb backdrop from which she creates stunning wildlife drawings.

 

Creating a valuable resource for the future

While both Barnaby and Jill aim to continue in a similar vein with their respective businesses, they have plans to make further changes to Torhill Farm. Under their stewardship, the farm will always be a regenerative biodiversity site, and they want to use its resources to inspire others and are actively engaged in the East Dartmoor Landscape Recovery Area scheme.

 

From London to local accountants

When they bought Torhill Farm, Barnaby and Jill were using a London accountancy firm for all their tax and accounting needs. However, running a farm has different tax and accounting requirements from normal businesses, and it was recommended that they move to Haines Watts, who could provide specialist tax knowledge relating to farms.

Barnaby and Jill said;

 

“Haines Watts has given us great advice to help us maximise tax reliefs and allowances. With their guidance, we are now running the farm as a business, not a hobby. And Haines Watts now handles all our other businesses' accounting and tax needs as well. Their ability to understand farming related issues, alongside that of corporate businesses, has made a big difference to us.”