RECENTLY, I met a wonderful family who have been farming in the Dales for generations. Modest, resilient and hard-working, the Suttills told me about their life in picturesque Coverdale.

As their stories unfolded, so did their contrasting fortunes down the years. A new report on housing this week claims the Government is ignoring a growing crisis in the countryside. It is people like Alf Suttill, 87, his son Ronnie, 61, and grandson David, 37, who are living it.

When Alf started farming in the 30s, life was very different. He worked with horses, and recalls piling hay with pitchforks. He was one of the first in the dale to get a tractor. He modernised and expanded and eventually invested in a number of prosperous farms.

Much of his and wife Annie's social life centred around the church. That, and dances with live bands, which were held all over the area. They did all their shopping in the local village store and knew just about everyone in the dale.

His son Ronnie and grandson David probably know less than half the people in the village now. Most of the houses are holiday or weekend homes or belong to long-distance commuters who work in the cities.

When the family bought their farm, the 300-year-old, four bedroomed stone farmhouse they now live in was more or less thrown in, considered worthless compared to the land. Now it is the other way round. The only way Ronnie's sons could afford houses in the village was to build on their own land.

The village school closed more than 20 years ago, followed by all the village shops and a number of churches. Many locals, especially younger women, have moved away because there is little work. Young men travel to nightclubs as far as 25 miles away in order to meet people.

The Suttills say it's sad, but they're not resentful. Ronnie points out dalesfolk had the chance to buy up old stone cottages for just hundreds of pounds in the 60s. But they were dilapidated and considered a liability. Young couples wanted new houses with fitted kitchens in places like Leyburn. Even in the early 80s, houses were going for £4,000 to £5,000. Now you would be lucky to get anything for under £100,000.

David doesn't envy the affluent incomers: "They do two hours travelling to Leeds or Teesside to work 35 hours a week. I take my hat off to them. We work 70, 80 and 90 hours a week sometimes. But I couldn't do that sort of travelling. The end product is, our quality of life is tremendous."

Despite struggling with huge losses during the disastrous years of BSE and foot-and-mouth, Ronnie and David kept going. They had animals to look after and land to maintain. Things are starting to improve, but they now work harder than ever for little financial gain.

With their own properties probably worth £1m, Ronnie's wife Margaret remarks that perhaps they should sell up and retire abroad. But David dismisses this out of hand.

There may be a crisis in the countryside. But families like the Suttills are determined to keep farming in areas like Coverdale for many generations to come. If only pride alone was enough to sustain them...