JUST MONTHS AFTER STEPPING DOWN FROM A ROLE HE HELD FOR YEARS, ALAN FORD’S LIFE ENDED IN A TRAGIC FARM ACCIDENT ALONGSIDE HIS SON

A respected Cheshire farming family has been left devastated after Alan Ford, 72, and his son Rick, 42, died in a tragic incident at a farm — only months after Alan retired from a leadership role he had held for years.

Alan Ford had spent much of his life deeply connected to Cheshire’s agricultural community.

For years, he served as chairman and director of the Cheshire Agricultural Society, becoming a familiar and respected figure within the organization and the wider farming community.

Then, in April 2026, Alan stepped down from both positions.

It was supposed to mark the beginning of a new chapter after years of service.

Instead, just months later, tragedy struck.

Alan and his 42-year-old son Rick were involved in a fatal industrial incident at a farm on Cann Lane in Aston-by-Budworth, near Northwich, Cheshire, on August 26.

A ROUTINE DAY TURNED INTO TRAGEDY

Emergency services were called to the farm at around 12:20 p.m. following reports of an industrial incident.

When police, firefighters and ambulance crews arrived, they found that two men had fallen into an industrial tank.

Emergency responders managed to recover both men from the tank.

But despite the rescue efforts, Alan and Rick were pronounced dead at the scene.

Cheshire Police confirmed that an investigation had been launched to establish exactly what happened. The family has also asked for privacy as relatives come to terms with the loss.

The circumstances leading to the incident have not been fully established publicly.

That unanswered question has only added to the shock surrounding the tragedy.

A FATHER AND SON WHO SERVED THE SAME COMMUNITY

For those who knew the Ford family, the loss is particularly painful because Alan and Rick were not simply father and son.

They were also closely connected through their work with the Cheshire Agricultural Society.

Alan had served as chairman and director before retiring in April.

Rick had followed his father into the organization, serving as a director for several years.

Their shared involvement meant that the Ford name had become closely associated with the society and its work within Cheshire’s agricultural community.

The society described the Ford family as having worked tirelessly for the organization over many years.

That dedication was reflected in the tributes that followed the tragedy.

“Alan and Rick will be very sadly missed by everyone who knew them,” the Cheshire Agricultural Society said in its tribute.

The society also extended its sympathy and prayers to the Ford family during what it described as an extremely difficult time.

ALAN HAD ONLY RECENTLY STEPPED AWAY

One of the details that has made the tragedy particularly poignant is the timing.

Alan had retired from his leadership positions only months earlier.

After years at the heart of the Cheshire Agricultural Society, he had stepped down as chairman and director in April.

His son, meanwhile, remained involved as a director.

The father and son had therefore continued to share a connection with the organization and the agricultural world that had played such an important part in their lives.

Now, the community they had spent years serving is mourning them both.

THE INVESTIGATION CONTINUES

Police have not publicly released a detailed account of what led to the incident.

Officers confirmed that next of kin had been informed and that an investigation was underway into the circumstances surrounding what they described as an industrial incident.

The Health and Safety Executive, the UK’s workplace health and safety regulator, was also involved in examining the incident.

For now, the investigation is focused on establishing what happened at the farm and how the two men came to fall into the tank.

A COMMUNITY LEFT IN MOURNING

For the Cheshire farming community, the tragedy represents the loss of two generations of the same family.

Alan had spent years helping lead an organization at the center of the region’s agricultural life.

Rick had continued that connection, serving alongside others who knew the Ford family well.

Their loss has therefore reached far beyond the farm where the incident occurred.

It has touched an organization, a professional community and countless people who had known the father and son through their years of service.

Alan had stepped away from his longtime leadership role only months before.

Rick was still carrying on that family connection.

And now, instead of celebrating the next chapter of Alan’s life and Rick’s continued work, the Cheshire agricultural community is remembering a father and son whose lives were deeply woven into the world they served.

The Ford family has asked for privacy as they grieve.

And across Cheshire, tributes continue to reflect the same message: Alan and Rick were not only colleagues and respected members of the farming community — they were deeply valued members of a family and a community that will feel their absence for years to come.