He gradually recovered and now only needs annual reviews to check on his heart health.
In April 2025, Hugh decided to answer a call for singing farmers, which turned out to be from Clarkson’s Farm presenter Jeremy Clarkson.
After an audition, Hugh was among the 34 farmers chosen to make up The Hawkstone Farmers’ Choir out of more than 500 applicants.
The choir excelled in their first audition in October 2025, even receiving the coveted Golden Buzzer, and Hugh said that it’s “been a bit of a whirlwind since then”.
They climbed their way through the competition and reached the live final on 30 May before being crowned winners, as Clarkson looked emotional and applauded as they performed their original song.
The choir received glowing praise from the judges, including Simon Cowell who described it as “absolutely stunning”, “heartfelt” and “joyous”.
“We had this amazing experience that weekend, obviously, and the choir has bonded really well,” said Hugh.
“We don’t really know what’s in the pipeline, but I think there’s a lot of exciting things going to happen now.”