'Ultimately, it’s great to be your own boss and do things the way you want to' -  Funding helps young couple take on Island Farm

The Isles of Scilly farmer and her partner have been able to start a tenancy and associated enterprises on Bryher, thanks to funding delivered by SWIG Finance.

Kerry Hulands, 24, and her partner Jack Armstrong, 30, took over Hillside Farm on the island of Bryher in the Isles of Scilly in September 2025 and are now custodians of 30 acres of pasture for a small Ruby Red beef herd, a 10-acre market garden with polytunnels, 200 chickens producing free-range eggs, two holiday lets, a chilli business and a market stall.

They borrowed £25,000 each from the British Business Bank's Start Up Loans programme, with an additional £60,000 from the Bank's South West Investment Fund, to buy the previous occupants out of the Duchy of Cornwall tenancy and continue their improvements.

Having previously worked on farms in Somerset, Jack, 30, came to Scilly three years ago, intending to pick flowers for six months.

He met Scilly girl Kerry through a shared love of the island sport of gig rowing, and stayed.

Kerry was born and bred on Bryher, leaving only – like most children on the islands – for further education: A Levels in Truro in Cornwall, followed by teacher training at university in Brighton.

However, she was keen to return to her roots. “When I was six, I told my primary school teacher I was going to do her job,” she said.

“Fortunately, she retired just in time for me to do that.”

Kerry now teaches a mixed class of seven- to 11-year-olds, taking a jet boat each morning from Bryher with the island’s children to school on neighbouring Tresco.

“It's a unique way of learning here – I couldn’t think of being anywhere else. And while most teachers come from the mainland, being from Bryher means I can answer all the children’s questions about living here – and leaving here.”

When news of the tenancy arose, Kerry was living with her parents, while Jack was in accommodation tied to his employment.

“Because Bryher is small, we heard that the previous tenants had decided to move on,” says Kerry.

“It was December 2024, and Jack and I were joking: what would we do with the farm if we had it? Should we make a plan? Then we thought: actually, why wouldn’t we?

“Jack had more experience, but I thought it was an exciting idea – growing up, I’d always dreamed about having animals. And it represented more permanent accommodation that wasn’t tied to a job as such, other than one we had control over.

“We already had a meeting booked with the Duchy to discuss housing, and I think they were quite surprised when we asked if they could bear us in mind for the farm.”

The pair spent five months perfecting their business plan. “We imagined what could go wrong as well as how we could make it work really well,” says Kerry.

The pair initially encountered difficulties with finance. “Because we were young, we didn’t have collateral, so it was difficult to find a bank that would loan us the kind of money we needed to secure this place,” says Kerry.

“Lenders also saw a tenancy as insecure,” recalls Jack, “although the Duchy has been here for 700 years and in all likelihood will be here for 700 more. That's as secure as it gets.”

SWIG bases its lending decisions on potential rather than collateral, often supporting small businesses when others can't. Recipients included Hillside Farm's previous tenants, who recommended SWIG Finance to Jack and Kerry.

“We had struggled for months, so to get support was a huge relief,” says Kerry. “We couldn’t have done this without their help,” adds Jack. “The interest rate was also extremely favourable, and they were very nice to deal with.”

Start Up Loans offers personal loans of up to £25,000 per director and offers free mentoring to help anyone start or grow a new or early-stage business.

The South West Investment Fund, meanwhile, provides loans from £25k to £2m and equity investment up to £5m. Both are run by the British Business Bank as part of its remit to diversify finance for small and medium sized businesses in the UK.

Lizzy Upton, Senior Investment Manager at the British Business Bank, said: “We are delighted our programmes have been able to support Kerry and Jack in realising their business dream on Bryher.

"Securing an island tenancy like this and running a business that supports both the local economy and community life on the islands is no small achievement. It’s great to see their plans taking shape so quickly and we’re proud to have played a part in helping them get started.”

SWIG Finance Start Up Loans Officer Julia Burton and Business Manager Rachel Thomson helped the couple with their co-lend. “They supported us the whole way through, giving us tips and sending us back documents with suggested tweaks. They were very on it all the way through – just brilliant.”

Funding in place, Kerry and Jack moved in in September 2025, and immediately set about firming up bookings in the seasonal holiday lets, which are now at capacity for the summer.

There followed one of the most challenging winters on record, which saw a polytunnel careening across a field and a field waterlogged during Storm Goretti.

“It wasn’t the best time to take on a farm tenancy,” Jack admits. “Winter wasn't exactly friendly, but come summer, we will be in a position to make money and keep things going. That feels really good.

“Ultimately, it’s great to be your own boss and do things the way you want to, rather than following someone else’s plan.”

Almost everything produced on the farm is sold within the archipelago, although the Scilly Chilli range - jams, sauces, powders and even chocolate – is the main export, as well as selling well to island guests through the Hillside Farm stall.

The couple work closely with the Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust in season, largely by cattle grazing, and are also part of the Small is Beautiful project, a community-led landscape recovery project.

With a 40-year lease, Kerry's future on Bryher looks secure.

“It means there’s more opportunity for me, as a young Islander, than just living in my parents’ house, or having to move for school jobs,” says Kerry.

“There are more things I can do on Scilly. I have to fit it around my day job – I get up early to water my flowers, and I’m pretty tired at the end of the day. But the school holidays are perfectly timed to coincide with harvesting.

“All my family is here – I'm one of three siblings, and I have four nieces and nephews. When I was away, it made me sad to think of not being in their lives. Now I teach them all.”

SWIG Finance’s Rachel Thomson says: “Life on Scilly is different to the mainland. The islands need to retain the younger generation to ensure they continue to be viable.

“Kerry and Jack were so enthusiastic and committed to securing the lease to Hillside Farm, and I could see their vision and understand their motivation for wanting to keep the farm alive as it's an important part of Scilly and island life. I’m so pleased we could support them, and will be visiting them later this year to buy some of their Scilly Chilli sauce!”