I AM 18 years old. I have just completed my Level II Diploma in Agriculture and desperately want to find a farm to rent – but not just for myself.

My stepdad is a war veteran who served as a fighting soldier for over 20 years in the British Army. He is registered disabled now but has farming in his blood and loves nothing more than pottering around the farm, driving tractors or feeding the pigs.

This year he suffered a Type A aortic dissection and spent three months fighting for his life. Thank-fully he is recovering slowly.

Dad set up a charity about six years ago which offers homeless veterans medium-term accommodation on a residential care farm and funded everything from his own pension. While he was in hospital our landlord placed the farm on the market so we need to relocate.

Dad has a dream to relocate the charity, enabling him to provide shelter for one or two veterans at a time and be able to teach them farming skills.

However, finding a farm to rent that suits our requirements is proving impossible.

I want to farm the land and have a mixed farm with rare breed sheep, cattle and pigs and use our heavy horses to work in conjunction with modern machinery.

The farm needs to have a three-bedroomed house and a landlord willing to let us place log cabins or static caravans on site to provide accommodation for the veterans in our care. We have a good viable business plan and we just need a chance.

I hope you can publish this plea and maybe we can find our farm in Herefordshire.

I just want to see a very special man fulfil his dreams as well as me be able to prove my worth as a farmer.

I can be contacted on 01832 710887 or 07858 711668 or by email at clippycloppolo@aol.com NIAMH FINLAY HOWE 1 Toll Bar Cottage Toll Bar Lane Keyston Huntingdon Cambs PE28 0RB