Foot-and-mouth disease provides the backdrop for Bobby & Amy – a dark comedy about friendship, heartache and the repercussions of the illness – which is being staged at the Farnham Maltings tomorrow at 8pm.

Written and directed by Emily Jenkins, and starring Will Howard and Kimberley Jarvis, this powerful play asks what happens when people’s way of life is threatened by those who do not really understand it.

It’s the late 1990s when 13-year-old Bobby and Amy meet in a place where hundreds of cows are dotted across fields and the sun always shines.

But when foot-and-mouth hits the farming communities of rural England and the cows begin to burn, Bobby and Amy’s sleepy Cotswold town faces a catastrophe that will change their home forever.

Celebrating the power of community in times of unprecedented adversity, Bobby & Amy is as relevant to pandemic times as it was at the turn of the century.

Having grown up in the countryside, Emily Jenkins has strong memories of foot-and-mouth – the smell of disinfectant, distant burning and bright yellow tape strung across every gate and sty.

But as well as looking at this catastrophe, Bobby & Amy is also a celebration of British agriculture, small rural communities and the huge amount they contribute to the wider world.

For tickets, priced £15 (£12 members) call 01252 745444 or visit the website at https://farnhammaltings.com/