A MAN who bought a crumbling house has transformed the ruin into a retirement fortune worth millions.

Richard Morris and his wife, Joy, got their hands on the Newton Court Farm in Monmouth after finding retirement too boring and struck gold with their decision.

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The 72-year-old told WalesOnline how he built Ancre Hill estate piece-by-piece with the winery now consisting of three vineyards totalling 22 acres.

Richard has now made the decision to put the site, which produces around 30,000 bottles a year, up for sale for a whopping £3.4 million.

Originally looking to retire in his 40s, Richard sold his transport and logistics company to travel with his wife and visit as many vineyards as they possible could.

However, the retiree “soon got bored” and “felt it was too early to call it a day” and so bought a seven-bed house surrounded by vacant fields.

He even returned to school, achieving a diploma in viticulture from Plumpton College, Brighton, to learn about the technical processes of vineyards.

Richard said: “It’s been fantastic. Instead of being stuck behind a desk all day or sitting in a car all day, I’m out in the fresh air in the vineyard or I’m in the winery but I can’t go on forever.”

Being one of the most sustainable wineries in the world, the structure was originally made from straw and rendered lime mortar.

The first vines were planted back in 2006 and since then Richard and his wife have developed the site to what it is now.

Describing the original farm house as “basically falling down” the money the couple have spent to renovate has clearly paid off in the long run.

Their venture in producing wine has developed beyond a retirement hobby with the pair establishing sales in Michelin star restaurants and others across the globe.

Richard even found a South African winemaker, Jean Du Plessis, to oversee the incredible feat ensuring the smooth-running of the wine produce.

Despite the challenging weather that the UK climate can bring, Richard continued to explain how much he enjoys the process.

Beyond the environment, Richard has other factors that are out of his control including the steep levy which UK wine is subject to.

From February 1, the number of tax bands for wine is expected to increase from one to 30 and Richard claims that supermarkets have been frustrated with the move to hike up taxes on the products.

Despite the few negatives, he still works three days a week across the different vineyards which have pinot noir, chardonnay, albarino and other hybrid varieties planted.

With the wine being particularly popular amongst young people, the business has been exported to Canada, Singapore and Hong Kong.

They now hope to find further buyers elsewhere, including Scandinavia.

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A MAN is facing homelessness after he was evicted from the house where he has lived for 50 years – because his mum died.

Neville Pass, 53, has lived in the three-bedroom semi in Shrewsbury since the 1970s.

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After Neville’s four siblings moved out and his dad died, he was left alone with his mum Doreen.

For the past three years, Neville was Doreen’s full-time carer as she slipped into poor health – before she died in June aged 83.

As he was coming to terms with her loss, Neville was slapped with an eviction notice.

Neville was told he was no longer classed as a carer for his mum and the semi was “too big” for his needs.

He slammed housing bosses for “coldly” booting him from his childhood home when he has little money after years caring for his mum.

Neville said the eviction notice also demanded he emptied the house, so he was forced to take all of his mum’s belongings to the tip.

The council has since told Neville they are unlikely to be able to find him a new home because he is not classed as disabled.

‘NOT APPRECIATED’

Neville said: “My mum was a lovely lady, very kind, and put up with a lot of pain in the last years.

“But we always managed to smile about something and enjoy the local countryside.

“For the last three years I was her full-time carer. But she passed away earlier this year, after years of heart kidney and liver problems.

“Housing Plus have now asked me to leave because it is a three-bedroom house and I am not a carer any more.

“They said I could stay only in ‘special circumstances’ but they don’t consider my situation as a ‘special circumstance’ .

“I have lived here all my life. As a full-time carer you can’t get a full-time job or a mortgage or save much money.

“So to be asked to leave a house after nearly 50 years is uncaring and cold.

“They said I had to empty the house, so I had to take all of my mum’s things and throw them in the tip.

“They have allowed me to stay temporarily in the house but I have to go soon.”

Neville added: “I’m paying full rent – I’m on benefits so can’t even afford the heating.

“I asked the council for help and they said they would try to help me find a house.

“But because I’m not disabled they they said it was unlikely they would be able to find me one.

“I spent more than 10 years with my mum helping her, especially at night.

“She was always breathless because of her heart problem. I helped calm her down and gave her oxygen.

“I was told people like me save the NHS millions – but now I’m coldly being told to leave.”

Neville said: “I guess carers are not appreciated as much in Shrewsbury.

“I hope rules can be put in place to help carers readjust to life instead of being told you’re not a carer anymore and made homeless.”

‘HUGE DEMAND’

Housing Plus’s Les Clarke said: “I am sorry to hear about this situation which I understand is very upsetting for our customer.

“We are supporting and helping him to find a suitable home and he is remaining in the current property whilst this process takes place.”

Clarke added: “We always work to support our customers in these circumstances.

“We do our best to find suitable alternative accommodation for them.

“However, it is important that we use our housing stock as efficiently as we can. There is huge demand for larger properties in this area.

“We have many people on our waiting list including people living in temporary accommodation.”

RACHEL Reeves is under pressure to soften a Budget tax raid on bosses amid warnings it would strangle growth.

Insiders believe the Chancellor could now back away from raising employer National Insurance Contributions (NICs).

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It comes amid furious claims such a rise would breach Labour’s manifesto.

Ms Reeves was instead said to be considering a lesser move to levy NICs on firms’ pension contributions.

She was also believed to be eyeing a £1billion inheritance tax grab on shares in small and medium-sized firms currently exempt from the levy.

Ministers are considering raising fuel duty despite warnings it would contradict their vow to protect working people.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting said the mooted employer NIC rise would not break Labour’s election pledges.

He did not deny that an extended freeze to income tax thresholds would drag an extra million workers into paying higher rates.

It came as a report warned taxing businesses would further damage UK competitiveness on the world stage.

Britain ranks 30th out of 38 OECD nations for competitiveness and could plunge further.

Daniel Herring, from The Centre for Policy Studies, said: “There’s a real danger that Britain could end up with one of the least competitive and most anti-growth tax systems in the OECD if the expected tax rises come to fruition.”

Tina McKenzie, from the Federation of Small Businesses, said the Budget must deliver “on the growth promises in the election”.

She said: “The Chancellor should back small firms to deliver more jobs, better pay and fire up our economy.”

AS Halloween draws near, planning for the October 31 fright fest goes into overdrive.

But it doesn’t have to be all about pumpkins and lollipops – the supermarkets also have some splendidly spooky cakes.

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Prices are often not too scary either, and they are a great option if you do not have the time to bake.

Lynsey Hope tasted some and gives her verdicts and ratings out of five . . . 

Marks & Spencer Mini Halloween Pumpkin Cakes, £4 for four: 4/5

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DESCRIBED as “mini” but these are quite substantial, even for a chocolate lover like me.

The chocolate sponge is moist and delicious and is filled with a sweet orange buttercream which I could not get enough of, though there was plenty of it.

The cakes are then dipped in orange icing so they look like pumpkins.

Not as cheap as some other own brands but delicious.

Fun and tasty party treat.

Iceland Giant Eyeball Dessert, £7: 4/5

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A REAL showstopper, this stand-out creation is most impressive.

A Victoria sponge with layers of raspberry and white chocolate mousse, it comes frozen and is designed to look like an eyeball – all at a competitive price.

The kids were delighted and it tasted fab. The sponge is moist and the cake is covered in a yummy white chocolate shell.

You need to defrost in the fridge for 12 hours or so before eating.

Sainsbury’s Spooky Tray Bake, £7: 5/5

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HALLOWEEN version of one of those rectangular chocolate birthday cakes.

The sponge is really tasty – moist and not too sweet – and it is topped with a creamy chocolate butter- cream, white drizzle and sugar-paste eyeballs.

The design is simple but just the thing for scare season.

The kids scoffed it eagerly and I reckon it would go down a storm at any party.

Fiona Cairns Seasonal Fairy Cakes, £7 for six, Waitrose: 3/5

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DELICATE-looking delights in pretty pastel colours, these are dainty as can be and not as scary or spooky as other offerings.

They taste lovely, though.

The sponge is light and moreish and the icing is spot on. Also, they were not as sickly as some cakes can be.

A tasty option if you are not too keen on the thought of little ones gobbling ghouls or eyeballs and other scary bakes for their Halloween party tea.

Lidl Sticky Toffee Halloween Muffins, 99p each: 3/5

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GREAT to have an option that is not chocolate.

These muffins have a lovely flavour that is perfect for this time of year.

The taste was subtle enough for the kids to enjoy and the sponge was moist and moreish.

The muffins did not exactly stand out on the shop shelf against some prettier cakes, with just a splodge of toffee sauce and a chocolate ghost on top.

But they did taste delicious.

Morrisons Super Scary Cupcakes, £5: 2/5

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I LOVED the look of these scary cakes – especially the eyeball ones, which really put you in a spooky mood.

They would be fabulous as part of a Halloween party spread, and the kids and I could not wait to tuck in.

The sponge was pretty good but the icing tasted just a little artificial, and too sugary.

These cakes score well for appearance, not so well once in the mouth.

Asda Horror Emporium Miles The Millipede Cake, £7.50: 1/5

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MILES’ sponge tasted a little dry and flavourless and the chocolate coating separated from the cake as I cut into it.

He looks cute, though, and the sugar decorations are a delight without being overpowering.

Pack says this serves 12 but I reckon that is a bit tight.

You get better value with the Sainsbury’s tray-bake, which is 50p cheaper, and Iceland’s offering is a bit more fun.

Aldi Halloween Mini Cupcakes, £1.75 for nine: 3/5

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SMALL but tasty. And their modest size means these are not too much of a sugar overload for little ones – though you will want to tuck in too.

They were pretty good value for a pack of nine.

Nothing really blew me away, tastewise, but they were decent enough. And the decorations were sufficiently spooky.

Maybe just a bit too middle of the road.

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Israel’s military said it plans to launch a wave of air strikes across Lebanon, which it said would target Hizbollah-affiliated financial institutions as it prepared to dramatically widen its offensive against the militant group.

An Israeli intelligence official said the strikes were intended to attack Hizbollah’s economic “system and strongholds”, with a focus on branches of the al-Qard al-Hassan Association.

The attacks will further exacerbate Lebanese fears that Israel is expanding its offensive against Hizbollah beyond military infrastructure. The Iranian-backed movement is also Lebanon’s dominant political force and has a large network of economic, social and political interests across the country.

Many ordinary Lebanese, particularly from the Shia community, also use the al-Qard al-Hasan (AQAH) financial network, which has branches countrywide.

Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari said Israel was issuing orders to Lebanese people to evacuate areas in Beirut and other parts of the country close to Hizbollah-affiliated financial institutions.

“We will strike several targets in the coming hours and additional targets throughout the night,” he said.

The Israeli intelligence official said Israel would be attacking “different branches of al-Qard al-Hasan all over Lebanon”.

But they hinted that Israel could broaden its campaign against Hizbollah’s financial network, saying the group received funding from Iran through Syria, as well as from Lebanese businesses affiliated to the group and donations from individuals.

“The purpose of these strikes is to target the ability of Hizbollah to function both during the war but also afterwards, to rebuild and to rearm the organisation on the day after, and [to target] the grip Hizbollah has on large parts of the Lebanese society,” the official said.

AQAH, officially a non-profit, was sanctioned by the US in 2007 which said the organisation’s affiliation with Hizbollah allowed the US-designated terror group access to the “international banking system”.

Experts say it is also Lebanon’s largest financial institution: in 2021, then-Hizbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said around 300,000 people had loans with AQAH and said it had provided loans worth $3.7bn to 1.8mn people since being founded in the 1980s. It gained in popularity after Lebanon’s economic crisis left many banks insolvent.

It offers small, interest-free loans in US dollars, backed by a guarantor or by gold deposits. Many people use these loans to pay for school and university fees, weddings and small businesses. It is also one of Hizbollah’s main tools in its patronage networks and social services, which helps sustain its popularity.

Israel stepped up its offensive against Hizbollah last month, initially saying its goal was to push the group back from the Lebanese border to ensure that some 60,000 people displaced by rocket fire from northern Israel would be able to return. But since Israel assassinated Nasrallah, and other top officials in the group, it appears to have expanded its goals, launching air strikes across the country and invading the south.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned this month in a speech that he said was addressed to the Lebanese: “You have an opportunity to save Lebanon before it falls into the abyss of a long war that will lead to destruction and suffering like we see in Gaza”.

The conflict between Israel and Hizbollah erupted after the Lebanese group fired rockets towards the Jewish state a day after Hamas’s October 7 attack.

Israel’s offensive in Lebanon has killed more than 2,400 people and forced more than 1.2mn to flee their homes, mostly in the past three weeks. Some 80 Israeli civilians and soldiers have been killed by Hizbollah fire in northern Israel and during the ground offensive into southern Lebanon.

Despite the blows to its leadership, Hizbollah has continued to launch drones, rockets and missiles, and last week vowed that “a new and escalating phase in its confrontation” would begin. 

On Saturday it fired a drone that hit a structure in the northern seaside town of Caesarea, where Netanyahu has his private residence, causing the prime minister to accuse the group of trying to assassinate him. His office confirmed the home was targeted but said Netanyahu and his wife were not present and no one was hurt.