In the name of love (From Free Press Series)

In the name of love

Maggie Sage is known and loved by Monmouthshire's horse fraternity. But County Life's Noel Davies discovered a story of love, romance and courage nestling among the saddles and rugs at Werncoglyn Farm near Abergavenny.

A wise, old table stands in the centre of Maggie Sage's busy farmhouse kitchen.

"This is the hub of life for us," she smiles. "We eat, drink, work and talk here. I think Richard would even sleep here if he could," she laughs.

Richard is Maggie's husband. Her best friend. The man she gave up the glitz and glamour of a high-flying job in London to spend the rest of her life with. True love is a rare and beautiful thing.

"I'm a firm believer that fate lends a hand and that everything is meant to be," she smiles, filling a worn-looking kettle with water.

"I never envisaged coming back to Abergavenny, but I'm so delighted I did. Although my parents were here I thought I had moved away. I never dreamt I would come back here, but maybe it was written down I would.

"I love being involved in life here. Abergavenny and Monmouthshire is such a special place and always has been."

Chester the dog lies quietly asleep on the tiled, kitchen floor as we talk. Ted, an excited-looking young sheep dog isn't quite ready to rest his paws just yet, jumping up to greet Maggie as she takes a sip of tea.

"He's such a playful young chap, aren't you Ted?" she laughs.

It's hard to imagine Maggie being this happy and contented in the bustling, cosmopolitan city of London. There in her late 20s and in the iconic suburb of Soho she ran her own advertising production-company with good friend Alan Orphin having built a powerful reputation in the advertising industry.

"We were hugely successful," remembers Maggie who worked with legends like Ridley Scott, Robbie Coltrane and Julie Walters producing commercials.

"It was a really exciting time. We had our offices in Soho, met lots of interesting people and travelled to fantastic places. It was the perfect job, but very stressful so I had my country life too. I had a cottage in Buckinghamshire, which was handy for commuting to Heathrow and Pinewood Studios.

"I was always attracted back to the country. I was riding at 5am then mucking out when I got back from Pinewood Studios or my offices at 11.30pm. It was very important for me to keep in touch with the horse world so I still taught (Maggie had passed her British Horse Society teaching exams while in living in London), competed and judged at competitions when I could.

"If someone had held a gun to my head I would have to admit I was a country person."

Yet Maggie's adoring love of the countryside alone would never be enough to draw her back to her childhood home in Abergavenny. That challenge would have to wait for a very special man indeed.

"I had always loved him," smiles Maggie picturing the love of her life. "Richard and his family had been family friends of mine all my life. He was friends with my elder sister and brother.

"Richard's mother Mary had always been wonderful to me. She was a very special lady. I used to visit them all the time. I used to bring back all my hippy boyfriends and go to the pub with Richard and his brothers.

"It must have been the mid 80s when an old friend of mine Jenny McGregor told me that Richard was not well, that his marriage had split and there was a possibility of the family being forced into selling Werncochlyn Farm. I immediately rang to speak to Mary and ended up having a three-hour conversation with Richard. I promised I would come and visit him.

"When I came back to see him it was love at first sight. I had always loved him and always thought he was someone special. Although neither of us was looking for a partner it just all fell in place at the right time."

Maggie spent around four years commuting from London in the late 80s to spend weekend's with Richard and his family before finally deciding it was time to make the move permanent. Life though was about to take a dramatic turn for the worse.

"I came home for the weekend and thought I had flu. After that weekend I never went back to London. I was very sick for a year with ME. In those days (1990) very, very few people recognised it as an illness.

"I was filming a commercial for Halifax before the weekend and after that never went back. We had planned to marry that year, but had to put it on hold because I was too ill. We eventually did a year later in 1991."

Over a decade on and life couldn't be more perfect for Maggie, now 53. She still has set-backs with her illness, but with a flourishing farm and horse-riding business, a loving family and Richard, her soul mate, forever by her side she has no regrets about moving back to Abergavenny.

"Life is just wonderful," she smiles. "I wouldn't want it any other way."