Feelings run high at the village meeting, but David has comforting news for all concerned.

Radio Times: Rob is preoccupied, and David speaks from the heart.

Characters: Adam, Alan, David, Helen, Lynda, Rob, Susan

• As Helen fusses over Rob, who claims he is not hungry, she suggests they have a night in rather than go to the village meeting. Rob claims his ‘exhausted’ appearance is due to pressures at work following the flood, and comes up with a remarkably convincing story about having to identify stress points and make better provision for the vet team. Helen seems convinced, anyway.
• The church is packed for the meeting. Susan is anxious to know if she will have the chance to speak; Alan assures her she will. Lynda leads off with an attack on the local authority’s decision to build on flood plain and the subsequent alteration to the area’s water cycle. If a second anaerobic digester should be built, matters will become even worse. Rob leaps to the defence of Berrow Farm, pointing out how careful they are to see that their producers use the land carefully. Susan then has her moment; if emergency vehicles were held up by flooded country roads, surely the planned new road would be the answer. It seems that there is little support for this point of view.
• Adam draws on his experience in Africa to point out how important it is to farm responsibly, which gives David the opportunity for an emotional testimony. Farming is not about money, (not even Justin Elliott’s cheque? asks Susan) it’s about who we are … responsibility to our neighbours … responsibility to those who come after. He just hopes no-one will make the mistake he nearly did. Now all Ambridge can sleep easy knowing that David Archer has decided not to sell.