Vinnie Jones in the Country (Discovery+)
A Young Farmer from Sussex has revealed what it was like to work with Hollywood star Vinnie Jones on his farming series.
Leighton Snelgrove, a beef and sheep farm manager in Nutley with 40 pedigree Sussex cows, had featured on the acting and footballing icon's Discovery+ series Vinnie Jones in the Country.
The series documented Mr Jones' journey into renovating a ‘knackered' 400 year-old farm in Petworth, Sussex, which also featured retired England legend Paul Gascoigne.
Better known for his portrayal of mob and hardman enforcers including ‘Big Chris' in Guy Ritchie's Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, the former Wimbledon midfielder had filmed the series alongside Discovery+ to showcase his passion for farming and the countryside.
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Mr Snelgrove, who has contributed to the Young Farmer Focus column in Farmers Guardian recently, said the experience of working with the Hollywood hardman had been a special moment for him.
The Young Farmer, who is also a volunteer at the Farming Community Network (FCN), added: "Working with Vinnie Jones was a once in a lifetime experience and was very surreal.
"He actually reached out to Sussex Young Farmers' Club, which I chair, and asked if we could arrange a meeting to discuss his new series and I was absolutely gob-smacked but delighted at the same time.
"I went to meet him at his farm in Sussex last year in the summer and we spoke for around two hours about farming and mental health.
"His farm is truly picturesque and stunning.
"We just had a very serious talk about farming in his field.
"I could not believe it."
Mr Snelgrove said it had been clear to see Mr Jones' passion for the industry during the meeting.
"He just loves farming and you spot it from the moment he speaks about the subject," he added.
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"What interests him the most is the environment, his land and the surrounding wildlife.
"Although he does not keep livestock, one of his particular interests is soil sampling and land management.
"Ensuring he can manage and look after the land well is really important in his outlook.
"I think he just wants to learn more about the industry as develops on his journey as a farmer."
The topic of mental health in Young Farmers had been a mainstay of their conversation.
"Vinnie said he wanted to help raise the profile of mental health, especially in Young Farmers," Mr Snelgrove added.
"Vinnie has done a lot of work to raise awareness of mental health and he has passionately spoken about his own experience of pain and loss.
"You can tell he really cared about the issue and was eager to do something very special for farmers.
"His own experiences of losing his wife and how a feeling of grief has spurred him on to help others.
"I talked about my own experiences with mental health and he was really understanding and caring.
"He is a such a great guy."
Mr Snelgrove said he told the former Leeds United midfielder about his volunteering work at FCN and how he wanted to help.
"I let him know about my work at FCN and what the charity does to support farmers and he got really on-board with it," the Sussex Young Farmer added.
"He came up with the idea of hosting a charity fun day at his farm to help raise money for the fantastic work FCN does.
"I was blown away by his gesture so we started to plan out what the day could involve.
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"The charity event featured on episode three of his series where he invited farmers and surrounding neighbours in Sussex to come to his 2,000-acre farm.
"On the day, there was sheep racing, raffles and lots of ice-cream.
"I remember the weather was really hot but it did not dampen the atmosphere of those who attended.
"In the programme, you see Vinnie mention me to the public and it was nice to receive that recognition for myself and FCN.
"I won the sheep racing event and was chuffed to bits.
"In all, it was just a family-fun filled day with lots of happy people who got the chance to meet Vinnie Jones.
"Vinnie said he thought we might only make around £400 but he was shocked when we achieved £1,500 in the end.
"It was a fantastic result which has helped a lot of farming families since."
Mr Snelgrove said he feels Mr Jones is a wonderful character and champion for farming.
"Vinnie is a great advocate for the industry," he added.
"He has a place in our industry.
"His work to raise men's mental health is truly humbling and a testament to who he is as a person.
"Also, I think it was important to him to show that beneath the hard-man exterior he has portrayed in his films, he is a genuine and truly humble person.
"We need more people like Vinnie to take part and get involved in farming because it is open to everybody who wants to be part of it."
