Kelvin Fletcher is set to share some emotional farm news in the upcoming instalment of Fletcher’s Family Farm, which returns on Sunday.
In an especially moving scene, Kelvin speaks about his “best mate,” whose memory he has honoured by naming one of his cattle after him.
Kelvin and his wife, Liz, have introduced a bull to their herd, calling him Crowther as a touching tribute to the soap star’s close friend, who sadly died.
“We’ve never had a male come on the farm to serve before. I’m excited,” Kelvin told the camera. “The cows were way more excited than him.”
The show then skipped ahead four months, with Kelvin noting how significantly the bull had developed as he shared: “He’s named after my best mate, who sadly passed away”, reports Cheshire Live.
“Every time I look at Crowther, I think of my mate. Some of my best memories were with him by my side. If Crowther was going to be an animal, he’d be a bull.”
He added: “I took a picture and sent it to his mum and dad. They were delighted.”
Elsewhere in the episode, Kelvin and Liz encountered challenges while trying to separate their cattle.
The former Emmerdale star revealed they were intent on splitting the calves, Sonic and Ray, from their mothers, stating: “We’re separating the herd to wean our young calf, Sonic and Ray, from their mums, Ruby and Cherry, as we’re keen to get them back in calf before the summer.”
Liz went on to say: “So that’s the girls in the meadow, and now we’re going to try and bring the boys up.
“A few potential risks are that if they call the boys, the boys will just go to where they are. So we just need to try and make a smooth transition into the paddock, which nine times out of 10 won’t happen.”
Kelvin added: “Handling three males isn’t for the faint-hearted, but as we increase our herd, we both need to work at handling them with confidence.”
Liz confessed: “I still get a little bit nervous around the cows, I think just the sheer size of them.”
Just when they believed they’d managed to relocate the cattle successfully, Liz and Kelvin were met with pandemonium as they discovered some had broken free. Mothers Ruby and Cherry spotted a breach in the fencing and headed straight back to their offspring.
Following attempts to repair the barrier, the pair gave up and decided to keep the cattle together for an additional day.