0:00:03 > 0:00:08Hidden away in the Gwendraeth Valley, West Wales, is a family business like no other.
0:00:08 > 0:00:11In the last count, I'm sure it was 18 family members working here.
0:00:11 > 0:00:14They are the fruit and veg mafia of Gorslas.
0:00:17 > 0:00:19There's me, I'm Roland.
0:00:19 > 0:00:24There's Stuart, Rueben, Tom, Davina, Rachel.
0:00:24 > 0:00:28- Coral works here. - Born a scrubber, always a scrubber.
0:00:28 > 0:00:31And then there's Moya, Kim,
0:00:31 > 0:00:34Maria. My son, William.
0:00:34 > 0:00:37AIR HISSES
0:00:38 > 0:00:40We're all in it.
0:00:40 > 0:00:43Stuart's son, John, is working here.
0:00:43 > 0:00:46Rueben, his son, Luke, is working here.
0:00:46 > 0:00:49I've got to go and take this lad and kill it. What do you expect me to do?
0:00:49 > 0:00:53His daughter, Marie-Alice, is working here.
0:00:53 > 0:00:54Ashley, Nicky.
0:00:56 > 0:00:58Who else is working here?
0:00:58 > 0:01:00I can't think who's working there.
0:01:00 > 0:01:03Also I just forgot - I'd better tell you, my wife is working there,
0:01:03 > 0:01:05Gina, or I'll be in trouble.
0:01:05 > 0:01:09Don't know. I can't think of anybody else off the top of my head. I think I've got round a few.
0:01:10 > 0:01:11How many did you count?
0:01:20 > 0:01:22This time on Meet The Watkins
0:01:22 > 0:01:27the family prepares for the busy lambing season and, for Stuart,
0:01:27 > 0:01:33it's the end of an era as he makes the final trip with his lorry back to the farm.
0:01:35 > 0:01:42# Happy birthday to you Happy birthday to you
0:01:43 > 0:01:48# Happy birthday dear both of you
0:01:48 > 0:01:53# Happy birthday to you. #
0:01:53 > 0:01:55It's a special day at Cwmcerrig
0:01:55 > 0:01:57and the farm shop's had a transformation.
0:01:57 > 0:02:00It's the location for a special birthday party
0:02:00 > 0:02:02for two of the Watkins clan.
0:02:02 > 0:02:05We're not all here yet, are we?
0:02:05 > 0:02:08The family doesn't often get together in one place,
0:02:08 > 0:02:12so tonight's party is a good excuse to get a few photographs for the album.
0:02:12 > 0:02:14I get don't get this opportunity often.
0:02:16 > 0:02:20Cwmcerrig Farm is midway between Swansea and Carmarthen
0:02:20 > 0:02:23and the Watkins family empire is a familiar sight for many
0:02:23 > 0:02:27who travel along the A48 on their way to Pembrokeshire.
0:02:39 > 0:02:42Tom, the youngest brother of the Watkins family,
0:02:42 > 0:02:45and Linda, the eldest sister, have both reached milestones
0:02:45 > 0:02:49and it's all hands on deck to make it a party to remember.
0:02:49 > 0:02:53Big party tonight. Double celebrations.
0:02:53 > 0:02:55The 40th and the 60th.
0:02:56 > 0:02:59Brother and sister, so we have come in
0:02:59 > 0:03:03and volunteered to do sandwiches, as you can see.
0:03:04 > 0:03:09And it's been well worthwhile cos we'll have a great time tonight.
0:03:09 > 0:03:12Feeding a large number of people will be a piece of cake for them,
0:03:12 > 0:03:17but Tom's had some trouble organising tonight's disco.
0:03:17 > 0:03:23I booked a disco about a month ago and then lost the number for him.
0:03:23 > 0:03:27So I phoned about four or five people this week asking them,
0:03:27 > 0:03:29"Have I booked a disco with you?"
0:03:29 > 0:03:33And it turned out I found the one at the end anyway. So I'm quite happy about that.
0:03:33 > 0:03:36Before things get into full swing,
0:03:36 > 0:03:40there is another important job to see to.
0:03:40 > 0:03:43Well, this is a surprise job.
0:03:43 > 0:03:48Cos yesterday afternoon we got told they didn't have a birthday cake,
0:03:48 > 0:03:53so Rachel put one in the oven yesterday
0:03:53 > 0:03:57- and this morning we spent an hour decorating it.- Yes.
0:03:57 > 0:04:02So it's supposed to be a little bit of a replica of the shop, it is.
0:04:03 > 0:04:06The Watkins know how to throw a good bash
0:04:06 > 0:04:11and so the party goes on until business as usual tomorrow morning.
0:04:19 > 0:04:24The farm shop relies heavily on the sale of the Watkins' own lamb and beef
0:04:24 > 0:04:27and today is an important day for the business
0:04:27 > 0:04:30if they want to produce a good supply of lambs for next year.
0:04:31 > 0:04:3512 weeks previously, the sheep flock were artificially inseminated
0:04:35 > 0:04:39and now it's time to find out how many ewes are pregnant
0:04:39 > 0:04:41and also how many lambs they're carrying.
0:04:47 > 0:04:51Roland, Watkins brother number five, usually takes charge...
0:04:51 > 0:04:54INAUDIBLE
0:04:54 > 0:04:58..and he's keen to get things under way.
0:04:58 > 0:05:02This is for scanning the sheep so we know what's inside them,
0:05:02 > 0:05:05so it helps the management.
0:05:05 > 0:05:08If they're singles they go in one pen, doubles in another pen
0:05:08 > 0:05:10and we feed them accordingly.
0:05:10 > 0:05:14Cos if you feed too much to the singles, lambs get too big
0:05:14 > 0:05:16and you can't get them out.
0:05:16 > 0:05:20So it's all to do with management.
0:05:21 > 0:05:25And if anyone needs to know how many lambs each ewe is carrying...
0:05:25 > 0:05:28well, Roland has his own high-tech method.
0:05:33 > 0:05:38One dot for onesie, two dots for two. Three dots for three.
0:05:39 > 0:05:41If we get any.
0:05:41 > 0:05:44She's having two and she's a big ewe, look.
0:05:47 > 0:05:52Empty. E. This is one of the oldest ewes we've got.
0:05:52 > 0:05:57She repeated quite a few times. She'll have to go now on the cull.
0:05:57 > 0:06:01We won't keep her any longer. She's had six, seven years, so...
0:06:01 > 0:06:05That's the way life is. I don't like to see them go, but it happens.
0:06:06 > 0:06:08She was a good ewe.
0:06:11 > 0:06:14That's it. Quite a few singles.
0:06:14 > 0:06:18A few empty ewes repeated a few times and quite a few doubles.
0:06:18 > 0:06:20No triplets and no quads,
0:06:20 > 0:06:23so quite good on that score, I reckon.
0:06:31 > 0:06:36Roland spends most of his time on restaurant duty, where things can get quite heated.
0:06:36 > 0:06:40That big table, go and collect all the glasses. We need them out.
0:06:40 > 0:06:43I need the tables. Go and collect them.
0:06:43 > 0:06:45Someone who knows better than anyone
0:06:45 > 0:06:49what it's like living with Roland is his wife, Gina.
0:06:49 > 0:06:51What's Roland like?
0:06:52 > 0:06:55Um... He's fairly straightforward.
0:06:55 > 0:06:58You know, if he's got something to say, he'll say it
0:06:58 > 0:07:01and there's no thought about how it may sound
0:07:01 > 0:07:04or how you may take it because he's just saying what's on his mind
0:07:04 > 0:07:07or how he feels about things.
0:07:07 > 0:07:11Other people say to me, "Gosh, he sounds a bit strict,"
0:07:11 > 0:07:13or a bit hard and things, and I just feel,
0:07:13 > 0:07:15well, no, he isn't - that's Roland.
0:07:17 > 0:07:20- My table's been booked for 1.30. - Yes.- Right, the queue...
0:07:20 > 0:07:22- How many of you are there? - There's six of us.
0:07:22 > 0:07:26- The queue is out the door at the moment.- Yes.
0:07:26 > 0:07:30I'm going to have to go around now and get ourselves through here
0:07:30 > 0:07:31because my parents can't get out.
0:07:31 > 0:07:35Sorry? Your parents don't have a table...
0:07:35 > 0:07:38What's the point in booking if it's absolutely inundated with people here?
0:07:39 > 0:07:44- Your parents...- The understanding was that we reserve the table
0:07:44 > 0:07:48and we also understood that we wouldn't have to go in a huge queue...
0:07:48 > 0:07:50We never said that.
0:07:50 > 0:07:53Roland's mother died when he was 25
0:07:53 > 0:07:56and he stepped in to become the unofficial head of the family.
0:07:56 > 0:07:58When it comes to running the business,
0:07:58 > 0:08:00it's clear that Roland is a born leader.
0:08:00 > 0:08:02For 10...uh, 11, is it? Yeah. That one there.
0:08:02 > 0:08:05I'm going to have this table right at the back for you.
0:08:05 > 0:08:07- Will you come and get the order? - You can have the table,
0:08:07 > 0:08:09but somebody's got to join the queue to get the food.
0:08:09 > 0:08:11I think the reason he's the driving force
0:08:11 > 0:08:17is because when he was younger, when his mother died,
0:08:17 > 0:08:19the realisation that there was all these children
0:08:19 > 0:08:22and I think it was a case of,
0:08:22 > 0:08:26"OK, somebody has to do it," and that was it.
0:08:26 > 0:08:29You know, somebody had to take the driving seat
0:08:29 > 0:08:32and I just think Roland was there to do it.
0:08:32 > 0:08:37Farming and business has always been a way of life for the Watkins.
0:08:37 > 0:08:41Starting with vans and door-to-door deliveries of fruit and veg,
0:08:41 > 0:08:43the family moved on to markets as well as a warehouse
0:08:43 > 0:08:46and store in nearby Cross Hands.
0:08:46 > 0:08:48When they sold the warehouse,
0:08:48 > 0:08:51they used the money to start their new venture.
0:08:51 > 0:08:56450,000 was our expected expenditure, 650 tops,
0:08:56 > 0:08:59and we spent just over £1 million.
0:08:59 > 0:09:01So we had to earn money from other places,
0:09:01 > 0:09:05so once we get over the first three years, yeah, it'll be worth it.
0:09:05 > 0:09:09It'll be something for the family, won't it? That's what I think.
0:09:09 > 0:09:11If it's just only for me and just me and the wife who are working here,
0:09:11 > 0:09:14and the same with my other brothers, we probably wouldn't have done it.
0:09:14 > 0:09:17It's because of all the family members,
0:09:17 > 0:09:22they're all there, and hopefully it's a future for them, isn't it?
0:09:22 > 0:09:23That's what I'm hoping.
0:09:34 > 0:09:38Driving vans and lorries is a big part of the Watkins history.
0:09:38 > 0:09:41Stuart, the eldest son of the family,
0:09:41 > 0:09:43has been driving lorries for most of his life,
0:09:43 > 0:09:46travelling across Britain to buy straw for local farmers.
0:09:46 > 0:09:49But today is the end of an era
0:09:49 > 0:09:54as he drives the lorry home to Cwmcerrig for the very last time.
0:09:56 > 0:10:01I'm doing hay and straw for the last 20 odd years - 28, 29 years now
0:10:01 > 0:10:07I think it is - running up to the Cotswolds, Beresford, Cirencester,
0:10:07 > 0:10:12bringing straw back down, selling it to local farmers in this area.
0:10:12 > 0:10:15You leave here at 4.30, five in the morning,
0:10:15 > 0:10:23drive up to Oxford area, spend two hours loading, drive back.
0:10:23 > 0:10:30You'd be finished, hopefully, seven, nine o'clock some nights afterwards.
0:10:30 > 0:10:34Five, six days a week. I used to love driving.
0:10:34 > 0:10:36- Well, I still do, I suppose. - HE LAUGHS
0:10:37 > 0:10:41There's no doubt that life is going to be quite different for Stuart
0:10:41 > 0:10:45and someone who knows this better than most is shop assistant
0:10:45 > 0:10:47and Stuart's fiance, Moya.
0:10:48 > 0:10:51He's going to miss it. He's going to miss it in the beginning,
0:10:51 > 0:10:54but it's going to be easier for him. He won't have to have all the early mornings
0:10:54 > 0:10:57and we might get a summer holiday.
0:10:58 > 0:11:00Cos everything stops for the straw.
0:11:00 > 0:11:03You know, last year I think we had a holiday...
0:11:03 > 0:11:06September, October? October, something like that.
0:11:06 > 0:11:08Then you're in your winter clothes going on holiday, like.
0:11:08 > 0:11:13I don't think it's hit him yet. Because when that time comes now and that phone isn't ringing
0:11:13 > 0:11:16or he's not, you know, phoning all the local farmers
0:11:16 > 0:11:19asking do they want straw, do they want hay,
0:11:19 > 0:11:21that's when it's going to hit him, I think.
0:11:21 > 0:11:24The first load of straw we brought down, I think, we sold for £28 a tonne.
0:11:26 > 0:11:30I'm bringing straw... Well, the last load I sold was £115 a tonne.
0:11:32 > 0:11:34I will miss it.
0:11:43 > 0:11:49It's lambing time and Cwmcerrig farmyard is transformed into a five-star maternity unit
0:11:49 > 0:11:53ready for the family's pedigree Texel flock.
0:11:54 > 0:11:58It's a busy period for Roland, his brother, Rueben, and farmhand Gareth.
0:12:00 > 0:12:03Roland is happy with the lambs born so far and has already found himself
0:12:03 > 0:12:07a potential breeding ram for next year.
0:12:07 > 0:12:10It was born at one o'clock this morning. What is it now? 10?
0:12:10 > 0:12:15So he's three hours old. He's up, his belly's full, he's sucked his mother.
0:12:15 > 0:12:18He's been tagged now because we've all got to give them individual tags
0:12:18 > 0:12:20cos we've got to know the breeding of the ram.
0:12:20 > 0:12:23He'll hopefully sire rams himself. That's what he'll be.
0:12:23 > 0:12:26He won't be one for the pot, he'll be to sire rams.
0:12:26 > 0:12:31We'll colour-code him so we know what his father is. He's got nice, dark...
0:12:31 > 0:12:35On the nose, he's got nice dark colours. If we wanted a bit more,
0:12:35 > 0:12:37we'd like to have the dark on the of the eye.
0:12:37 > 0:12:41And he's good born, look. A good lamb. Healthy.
0:12:41 > 0:12:45Hopefully in a year's time, he's still healthy.
0:12:45 > 0:12:49A year from now, we'll have offspring from him, hopefully.
0:12:50 > 0:12:54Breeding Texel sheep is a big part of the Watkins way of life.
0:12:54 > 0:13:00It involves a lot of hard work, but Roland and his family would never be without them.
0:13:00 > 0:13:041970, some of the Scotch boys, different people,
0:13:04 > 0:13:09brought them in the country. They come from Holland and France,
0:13:09 > 0:13:14and then they only had a few of them
0:13:14 > 0:13:19and then they put them on to other sheep and if you do it about eight or ten times,
0:13:19 > 0:13:21what they call upgrading, and then they become pures.
0:13:21 > 0:13:23That's why you've got so many different strains of Texel.
0:13:23 > 0:13:27We started in the year 2000 so we are in our 12th year,
0:13:27 > 0:13:30so I wouldn't like to stop doing it.
0:13:30 > 0:13:34Some people play golf, we're out all night lambing sheep instead.
0:13:34 > 0:13:36Sad cases are we!
0:13:38 > 0:13:41But there's a problem with one of the ewes.
0:13:41 > 0:13:46The lamb is upside down at the moment the back is down instead of up.
0:13:46 > 0:13:49We'll see, now. We might get it, we might not.
0:13:49 > 0:13:52Try. Try and turn it over.
0:13:52 > 0:13:55It's quite tight and it's quite a big lamb.
0:13:55 > 0:13:59Bloody tight in there, isn't it? Plenty of room?
0:14:07 > 0:14:11Roland tries his very best to put his delivery skills to the test,
0:14:11 > 0:14:14but the ewe is struggling.
0:14:14 > 0:14:17Hold that leg up. Pull that firm, don't let it back.
0:14:19 > 0:14:22Just hold it firm. Don't pull it too hard.
0:14:26 > 0:14:29Actually, I think its whole head's this big.
0:14:29 > 0:14:32This problem is too difficult for the boys to deal with
0:14:32 > 0:14:34and help is required.
0:14:34 > 0:14:38Forget it. If you've got a phone on you, phone the vet.
0:14:42 > 0:14:46You'll get the vet to check them at the same time, I think.
0:14:48 > 0:14:49Inside you've only got that,
0:14:49 > 0:14:52but the head's as big as that and then you've got two legs like that.
0:14:52 > 0:14:55It ain't going to happen, like.
0:14:55 > 0:14:57Get the vet, hopefully, he'll come now soon.
0:14:57 > 0:15:01Rueben, find out if they're coming soon.
0:15:01 > 0:15:04If they're not coming soon, I'll go somewhere else.
0:15:07 > 0:15:09FARMYARD ANIMAL NOISES
0:15:09 > 0:15:10Careful of them.
0:15:10 > 0:15:14Good heavy lambs are what Roland is aiming for.
0:15:14 > 0:15:18And once again, he thinks he's found a whopper.
0:15:20 > 0:15:22There, come on. Won't be long.
0:15:24 > 0:15:26Come on. Hold it up.
0:15:26 > 0:15:27SHEEP BLEATS
0:15:32 > 0:15:34Eight kilos. 17-pounder.
0:15:35 > 0:15:36Born.
0:15:38 > 0:15:40- Have you got a record?- No.
0:15:40 > 0:15:42We've had a 21-pounder.
0:15:44 > 0:15:47That's a big lamb, though, 17 pounds inside the unit.
0:15:47 > 0:15:49Lot of stuff to carry around.
0:15:49 > 0:15:52Right, shall we go and have a look at that mule again?
0:15:55 > 0:15:59The Watkins' door-to-door van service was started over 50 years ago.
0:15:59 > 0:16:05Six days a week, three vans provide a delivery service for South and West Wales
0:16:05 > 0:16:09and it's still very much an integral part of the business.
0:16:11 > 0:16:14It's early Saturday morning and John, Stuart's son,
0:16:14 > 0:16:17loads his van ready for another busy day.
0:16:19 > 0:16:22Today, John's round is made up of farms
0:16:22 > 0:16:25and rural customers, which rely heavily on this service.
0:16:25 > 0:16:30Some customers have been buying from the Watkins for a very long time.
0:16:32 > 0:16:35Four or five carrots, please.
0:16:35 > 0:16:37'We expect John every week.
0:16:37 > 0:16:40'He comes regular, never misses.
0:16:40 > 0:16:43'I look forward to seeing him every week.'
0:16:43 > 0:16:46I think we ought to support local companies.
0:16:46 > 0:16:51That's the policy now, to support all the home growers,
0:16:51 > 0:16:54or home produce, so I think it's essential.
0:16:54 > 0:16:5716.30... 16.50 altogether, please, Stephen. Ta.
0:16:57 > 0:16:59- Thank you, John. - Thank you.- Thank you very much.
0:17:20 > 0:17:25Meanwhile, back at Cwmcerrig, and help arrives for the struggling ewe.
0:17:25 > 0:17:30Lambing is always a busy time of year for local vet Helen Scott.
0:17:30 > 0:17:32Absolutely manic, yes.
0:17:32 > 0:17:35Everybody's just started lambing in the last couple of weeks,
0:17:35 > 0:17:39so we've gone really busy all of a sudden. We've got calving as well.
0:17:39 > 0:17:42It just makes life a bit more interesting, really. So,
0:17:42 > 0:17:45erm, anything else I need?
0:17:47 > 0:17:51- Is this one guaranteed to liven up? - It's alive at the moment.
0:17:51 > 0:17:54I can't make any guarantees it's going to be alive in a minute,
0:17:54 > 0:17:56but it's alive at the moment.
0:17:56 > 0:18:00When we come in here, there's no guarantees, is there?
0:18:00 > 0:18:02It's a complex procedure
0:18:02 > 0:18:07and Helen prepares as carefully as possible for a Caesarean section.
0:18:07 > 0:18:10Getting the lamb out alive is the priority,
0:18:10 > 0:18:14but making sure that we're clean in the process of doing it as well,
0:18:14 > 0:18:18so if we weren't clean, then there'd be a risk to the ewe,
0:18:18 > 0:18:22so we've got to try and weigh up the, well,
0:18:22 > 0:18:25the balance of making sure we do the job properly,
0:18:25 > 0:18:28but also being reasonably fast with it as well,
0:18:28 > 0:18:32because, obviously you've got a risk to the lamb.
0:18:32 > 0:18:36If the lamb gets distressed it means they're more likely, to, to, erm,
0:18:36 > 0:18:37to not make it.
0:18:41 > 0:18:43SHEEP BLEATS
0:18:48 > 0:18:49Lamb's alive.
0:18:51 > 0:18:52It's fighting.
0:18:54 > 0:18:55There you go.
0:18:58 > 0:19:00Told you he wouldn't come out the back.
0:19:00 > 0:19:02Oh, no way would that have come out the back.
0:19:02 > 0:19:06Another very large healthy lamb to the Watkins flock.
0:19:06 > 0:19:09And a sigh of relief for everyone involved.
0:19:11 > 0:19:15The ewe is finally ewe-nited with her newborn lamb.
0:19:17 > 0:19:19There you are.
0:19:19 > 0:19:21Shall we put this straw in there?
0:19:25 > 0:19:27Back on his van round,
0:19:27 > 0:19:30John is certainly the blue-eyed boy amongst his customers.
0:19:32 > 0:19:35- OK, my love? Got everything? - Yes, I think so.
0:19:37 > 0:19:40John comes anything from 12 o'clock onwards.
0:19:42 > 0:19:46And for years now, they've been extremely good.
0:19:46 > 0:19:51I damaged my leg in a car accident. I can now hardly walk,
0:19:51 > 0:19:55so there's no point in me attempting to go over the road.
0:19:55 > 0:19:59They come, they collect the order,
0:19:59 > 0:20:01and deliver it back.
0:20:01 > 0:20:06And apart from anything else, they also give me cashback,
0:20:06 > 0:20:09which means I don't have to worry about getting to the shop
0:20:09 > 0:20:11or to the bank.
0:20:11 > 0:20:15It's wonderful that I can depend on them
0:20:15 > 0:20:17and they're a lovely family.
0:20:18 > 0:20:21- Tea or coffee or anything? - No, I'm fine, thank you.
0:20:21 > 0:20:24- You don't want to use the loo as usual?- No, I'm fine, thank you.
0:20:24 > 0:20:27SHE LAUGHS
0:20:49 > 0:20:52It's gone midnight, and Roland and his wife Gina
0:20:52 > 0:20:54are on night lambing duty.
0:20:54 > 0:20:57The ewes are normally relaxed at this time
0:20:57 > 0:21:01and so this is the very time they tend to get birth to their little ones.
0:21:01 > 0:21:03Gina has a busy time ahead of her
0:21:03 > 0:21:06and is responsible for feeding newborn lambs.
0:21:06 > 0:21:08We need to feed two of these.
0:21:10 > 0:21:12BLEATING
0:21:15 > 0:21:18They'll come, but the teats are very large on the ewe.
0:21:20 > 0:21:23And the lamb can't get to it.
0:21:24 > 0:21:27And the one ewe hasn't got a lot of milk.
0:21:29 > 0:21:32Over the years if something's a bit weakly or something,
0:21:32 > 0:21:35Gina is far better than the rest of us...
0:21:35 > 0:21:39Take it in the house and she, she seems to get it going when we give up on it.
0:21:39 > 0:21:42So, must be something.
0:21:44 > 0:21:45There you go.
0:21:45 > 0:21:47That's good, isn't it?
0:21:47 > 0:21:50If they don't need it, you don't give it.
0:21:50 > 0:21:55But if they need it, you've got to be there to keep them going.
0:21:55 > 0:21:57She just needs topping up all the time.
0:21:57 > 0:22:00Making sure she's having enough.
0:22:00 > 0:22:02Have you had enough?
0:22:04 > 0:22:07You look as if you've had enough.
0:22:11 > 0:22:15Roland relies heavily on Gina during this busy period.
0:22:16 > 0:22:18'I'm not needed all the time.
0:22:20 > 0:22:24'But if Roland needs help, you know, just to hold a ewe
0:22:24 > 0:22:27'while he's checking it and things, you know,
0:22:27 > 0:22:30'you just need somebody to be there sometimes.
0:22:30 > 0:22:34'So you know there is an extra person there to give you a hand
0:22:34 > 0:22:36'when you need it.
0:22:36 > 0:22:39'It's a job and I am here. There's no point calling somebody
0:22:39 > 0:22:45'to come a mile or a mile and a half away if I'm here, sort of thing.'
0:22:50 > 0:22:52At last, time for a cuppa.
0:22:52 > 0:22:55The night shift is often a good time to reflect on the business.
0:22:55 > 0:22:58After 35 years of marriage,
0:22:58 > 0:23:01Gina, as always, is there to support her husband.
0:23:01 > 0:23:05Usually, the discussion that we tend to have,
0:23:05 > 0:23:09it's things that he's thought about that he needs to remember to do
0:23:09 > 0:23:14and things like that. And he will talk to me about it.
0:23:14 > 0:23:20And then I'll start making lists at this time of the morning, just to...
0:23:20 > 0:23:26just to make sure that he'll remember it all tomorrow.
0:23:26 > 0:23:33'His mind is going all the time. But that's how Roland is.
0:23:33 > 0:23:35'You just accept it.'
0:23:41 > 0:23:42For Roland and Gina, the night is not over.
0:23:42 > 0:23:45There is another problematic birth,
0:23:45 > 0:23:47and Helen the vet has been called out again.
0:23:55 > 0:23:58We've spent quite a bit of money putting this lamb inside.
0:23:58 > 0:24:04So we hope it will work. It was alive earlier, I know that for sure.
0:24:04 > 0:24:06When I was trying the legs, it was fighting me.
0:24:07 > 0:24:10- I've just looked at the legs.- Huh?
0:24:10 > 0:24:14I've just looked at the legs and decided I'm not trying to pull it.
0:24:14 > 0:24:15Well, I did try.
0:24:16 > 0:24:21Like Helen, Gina is an old hand with the night-time deliveries,
0:24:21 > 0:24:24and a Caesarean section is nothing new to her.
0:24:24 > 0:24:28- Yes, been here, seen it all. - Once or twice!
0:24:28 > 0:24:30Good assistant, Roland?
0:24:30 > 0:24:32Better than me.
0:24:35 > 0:24:39- Quiet, compared to you! - I'm always quiet.
0:24:39 > 0:24:41Very patient with them.
0:24:42 > 0:24:45I even have the cat coming in to watch what I'm doing.
0:24:47 > 0:24:49We've got a cat assistant, as well!
0:24:49 > 0:24:50Yeah, she's sat outside the gate,
0:24:50 > 0:24:54making sure I'm not doing anything I shouldn't.
0:24:54 > 0:24:55Is she pulling the leg?
0:24:58 > 0:25:02- Which leg?- Is it pulling the leg back at all?
0:25:02 > 0:25:04I haven't pulled it too.
0:25:04 > 0:25:06I didn't pull it about too much.
0:25:06 > 0:25:09It might just need a bit of a shake.
0:25:13 > 0:25:17This is Helen's third visit to the farm in the last 36 hours.
0:25:17 > 0:25:19And tiredness has started to creep in.
0:25:19 > 0:25:24But tired or not, it hasn't stopped the delivery of a fine ram lamb.
0:25:24 > 0:25:29For Helen though, staying focused, especially at night, can be tough.
0:25:29 > 0:25:31When you first start, it's quite hard.
0:25:31 > 0:25:36Just because you've not been doing it particularly long
0:25:36 > 0:25:40and it's quite a stressful part of the job.
0:25:40 > 0:25:42But the longer you have been doing it,
0:25:42 > 0:25:46you start to act a little bit more on automatic pilot,
0:25:46 > 0:25:49so you just kind of go along with whatever comes along,
0:25:49 > 0:25:50and get on with it.
0:25:51 > 0:25:55The nice thing is, the drive to the farm is often quite a good point
0:25:55 > 0:25:59to wake up and think about what you are going to.
0:26:00 > 0:26:03It gives you a bit more time to be completely with it.
0:26:03 > 0:26:07I'm sure most of our farmers would say that we are not totally
0:26:07 > 0:26:10coherent when we speak to them on the phone.
0:26:10 > 0:26:13More because quite often, we have been woken up out of bed.
0:26:13 > 0:26:17But by the time we get down here,
0:26:17 > 0:26:21we're ready and raring to go.
0:26:22 > 0:26:26As the night progresses, Roland and Gina keep going too.
0:26:26 > 0:26:28Surviving on little sleep and working
0:26:28 > 0:26:31through the day and night becomes second nature to them.
0:26:33 > 0:26:37'This will be the hardest week, you can calm down then.
0:26:37 > 0:26:39'That's when your problems are, you lose interest
0:26:39 > 0:26:41'and something goes wrong.
0:26:41 > 0:26:42'It's all our own fault.'
0:26:42 > 0:26:43Come on.
0:26:45 > 0:26:47If you see them in three or four days' time,
0:26:47 > 0:26:49they fill out so quick, the lambs. It's amazing.
0:26:51 > 0:26:56But once he's got good, they're fiddling about, is the problem!
0:26:56 > 0:26:59Always. But hopefully we'll be lucky now.
0:27:00 > 0:27:06This year, to be honest, we've been pretty good. Yes.
0:27:06 > 0:27:10Finish like we've gone so far, we'll be very happy.
0:27:20 > 0:27:23It's a new day in what has been a relentless week
0:27:23 > 0:27:25for the Watkins family.
0:27:25 > 0:27:28But for Roland the work never stops.
0:27:28 > 0:27:30The cogs have to keep turning
0:27:30 > 0:27:32to make sure that the business survives.
0:27:32 > 0:27:34'You've got to work to make ends meet, don't you?
0:27:34 > 0:27:38'It's a big family, there's a lot of responsibility.
0:27:40 > 0:27:42'I don't know what it is.
0:27:42 > 0:27:44'Before, when my mother was alive,
0:27:44 > 0:27:46'she was basically the head of the business.
0:27:46 > 0:27:50'Dad never done much work running the business, he just moved the muck.'
0:27:50 > 0:27:54A few of my friends, Dai Rhys and a few of the boys always said
0:27:54 > 0:27:58I'm quite good that I can get people to work.
0:27:58 > 0:28:00I can get the best out of them.
0:28:07 > 0:28:13People say to me, are you going to retire? No. I'd rather be working.
0:28:13 > 0:28:15I wouldn't want to not be working.
0:28:18 > 0:28:24Next time, the Watkins prepare their cattle herd for the dreaded TB test,
0:28:24 > 0:28:31and everyone mucks in for their busiest time of year, Christmas.
0:28:41 > 0:28:44Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd