Farming and Phil Collins taught me about love
When a ewe rejected its newborn lamb on his farm, Simon Dawson was flooded with memories of his own childhood 40 years earlier.
Simon Dawson was on a wayward path after a difficult childhood. He says his mother would tell him directly that she didn't love him. Things were at their lowest when their family house burnt down and Simon was blamed for it. Unsure of love, he turned to music for answers. But the real lessons came later in life when he set up a farm and the animals he cared for showed him what true guardianship and acceptance means. Simon now believes his mother suffered from postnatal depression and was never given the support she needed. He tells Emily Webb how he turned things around and learned to love.
Simon's book is called The Boy Without Love.
Producer: Mariana Des Forges
Presenter: Emily Webb
Picture: Simon Dawson on his farm in Exmoor
Credit: Courtesy of Simon Dawson
Podcast
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The Outlook Podcast Archive
True stories of ordinary people and the extraordinary events that have shaped their lives