The Farmers Mart Oct/Nov 2013 - Issue 30 | Page 60

CHEVIN FENCING CHEVIN FENCING: AFFORDABLE FENCING TO SUIT EVERY NEED As both a farmer and a fencing specialist, Andrew Letten certainly knows his stuff. But after more than 20 years in the business, that is no surprise. If the right capital had been available, Andrew might have gone into farming full-time, but as it was, eight years ago, he decided instead to set up Chevin Fencing and combine some sheep farming with that agriculture-related business. Andrew’s partner Debs, handles all the paperwork while Tom Reyner who works for them, is an invaluable asset. “Between us Tom and I can pretty well handle any practical situation,” Andrew said. “We can come up with an idea, work out a solution and generally make it – which sometimes means some metal fabrication as well,” he said. “We do a wide range of work for farmers, land owners, horse owners and domestic customers and also do quite a bit for building companies, 60 Oct/Nov 2013 FarmersMart mainly in creating protection for wildlife and trees that could be at risk on or close to building sites. We like to be as environmentally-friendly as we can. “We tackle a lot of different specialist jobs: we’ve built a riding arena at Bradford and a timber bridge on an estate to give gamekeepers and shooters easier access when shoots are on. We also build pens for gamebirds, handling systems for livestock – which is where my experience comes in useful.” Andrew still works as a drover on Mondays at Wharfedale Farmers Mart where he picks up a lot of work from the many farmers who use the Mart. “The last three years have been really busy for us,” he said. “We’ve never had a recession. It is hard wor k and long hours but we accept that we have to go where the work is and take on a variety of jobs.” Having said that, Andrew maintains a straightforward, frank approach to all enquiries. “We are happy to give people honest advice, even if it means we sometimes don’t get the work,” he said. “We’d rather ‘We never leave a job until the customer is happy’ To read more, visit www.farmers-mart.co.uk