Digger giant JCB welcomed three generations of a Staffordshire farming family to its World Headquarters to celebrate decades of a proud agricultural machinery partnership.

 The Rocester-based company played host to Red Earth Farms' Jim, Stuart, Hayden and Sam Heath who, like JCB, are in the third generation of family business ownership. The family took time out from their 700-acre Staffordshire Moorlands farm to see some of their favourite agricultural machinery rolling off the production lines at Rocester and Cheadle, as well as touring 'The Story of JCB' exhibition.

 The Heath family farming tradition began in 1966 when Jim, 83, and wife Gill moved from Cheshire's Capesthorne Estate and bought Red Earth Farm, at Rudyard, near Leek, where they established their own dairy herd. Son Stuart, 52, joined the business in 1985 and, since taking the helm, has grown the dairy herd to more than 600 Holstein Friesians, which supply milk as part of the Tesco Sustainable Dairy Group. Now, grandson Hayden, 20, is following in the family footsteps and focusing on further developing the business, while grandson Sam, 17, continues to study and help on the farm.

 Stuart Heath said: "Our JCBs are fantastic workhorses in every aspect of farming; we currently have two JCB TM320S wheeled loaders and they make light work of many of our heavy-duty jobs. We have had JCBs on the farm for decades and we're proud that they are not only manufactured in our home county, but an amazing global success story."

 JCB Agriculture MD John Smith welcomed the family to JCB's World HQ. He said: "It was fantastic to meet the Heath family and hear all about their successful family farming business. As a Staffordshire-based company ourselves, we are very proud to support their business as it goes from strength to strength."