Latest news with #SocialFarms&Gardens
Powys County Times
08-07-2025
- Business
- Powys County Times
Powys council pilot sees farmers work 36 acres near Newtown
FARMERS have started work on three new plots near Newtown to test whether Powys land can be used to grow fruit and vegetables holistically on a commercial scale. Between them they are working 36 acres of Powys County Council -owned land in Sarn. The Sarn Farms project will be used to supply produce to local markets, schools in Wales and, possibly in future, nearby cities such as Birmingham. The successful applicants, who all come from Powys or the nearby border areas, were selected based on their business plans and former growing experience. 'The work at Sarn is a pilot, that we hope can be replicated across the county on land owned by the council and by private individuals, as part of a much bigger programme,' said Councillor Jake Berriman, leader of Powys County Council (PCC). 'We want to see more of the fruit and vegetables we eat grown here in Powys, so we can cut our food miles, improve our food security and with it create more resilient farming communities and more jobs. 'We are already great at livestock and dairy farming in Powys, but we could also become great at growing vegetables and grains here too.' The farmers will work collaboratively to provide a local veg box scheme, as well as developing individual enterprises. Plans include selling organic vegetables to wholesalers and salad crops to local cafés and restaurants, supplying seeds to the Wales Seed Hub, selling vegetable, herb and tree seedlings, along with fruit and eggs, offering beehive building and food preparation courses, and selling kimchis, chutneys and other prepared foods at local markets. The farmers also plan to incorporate agroforestry and a small number of livestock, along with woodchip and biochar production, to increase soil health and fertility, manage pests and create a more closed-loop system, with little or no need for external inputs such as compost and fertilisers. The project is being delivered by the Future Farms Partnership which includes Powys and Carmarthenshire County Councils, Our Food 1200 and Social Farms & Gardens. The site includes three temporary homes, which received planning permission under new guidance issued last year by the local authority. The guidance supports the installation of temporary dwellings as part of small-scale horticultural enterprises. More than £500,000 in funding has been provided by the Welsh Government (£270,000), the UK Government (£341,000) and the National Lottery Heritage Fund (£20,000). 'Agroecological horticulture produces a substantial amount of food on a relatively small amount of land,' said Our Food 1200 director Duncan Fisher. 'But until now, the big barrier has been the lack of housing for the farmers, who need to be onsite full time. 'With the council's new planning guidance in place, the next stage in Powys is to scale this up, with more land and more housing, to open up many more opportunities for talented new entrants to farming.' Social Farms & Gardens joint Wales manager, Alison Sheffield, added: 'As an organisation that's been supporting communities to farm, garden and grow together for over 40 years, it's been exciting for us to take a lead role in this pilot. 'We know we need more veg grown in our country to meet our nutritional needs and opening up more land for opportunities for local people is essential to help us on this journey.'
BBC News
22-04-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Acton Scott volunteers' joy at welcoming back farm visitors
Volunteers at a reopened historic working farm have said it has been "lovely" to welcome visitors Scott Heritage Farm, near Church Stretton in Shropshire, had previously been run by Shropshire Council, but closed in 2021 when it was deemed financially farm is now part of the Social Farms & Gardens charity, which officially reopened the site to the public on Rachel Lambert Jones, said: "It has been so lovely to welcome people back, because it really felt, as people walked through the door, that they're coming home." She said the attraction, which recreates life on a Victorian-era farm, saw 400 visitors over the Easter weekend, with all tours were fully booked. She added: "So many people have visited before, visited as children, and are just so excited for us to be open again."Jo Walker, a volunteer who is on the board of trustees, said Acton Scott was a "magical place" and she had been visiting since childhood, later bringing her own said she was impressed by the enthusiasm of those visiting, and that she enjoyed "being able to pass on the knowledge and magic of the place to [them]". When the attraction closed in 2021 after 47 years, Shropshire Council said it was losing £168,000 per was handed back to the Acton Scott Estate in 2022, before trustees and volunteers got Easter weekend marked the start of its full opening as a registered charity, after previously running some pre-booked appeared on the BBC's Victorian Farm series, and Ms Lambert Jones said: "We're looking forward to welcoming school visits back again, and perhaps some more filming on site."She also said the charity wanted to "reinstate workshops and courses". Follow BBC Shropshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
BBC News
19-04-2025
- BBC News
Shropshire's Acton Scott Farm officially reopens as a charity
A popular Victorian attraction is preparing to welcome Easter visitors as it officially reopens as a charity. Shropshire's Acton Scott Heritage Farm, near Church Stretton, officially reopened to the public on Friday, four years after Shropshire Council decided it was financially farm is now a registered educational charity and has about 130 volunteers helping to run and keep it open throughout the Rachel Lambert Jones said the team was proud of what they had achieved as the farm was a "Shropshire institution". "We are really thrilled that we will be welcoming people back on site, back to this special place," she told BBC Radio Lambert Jones said there was a risk the farm could shut altogether as the site was closed between the period when the council pulled out, to the charity being formed. "It really is down to the goodwill and determination of the people of Shropshire that the charity was formed and the farm is back."It has been a really interesting journey, we have inherited good stuff, the buildings are beautiful, the land is never going to change, it is absolutely stunning but there has been a lot to do to make sure we are up and running safely and securely." The working Victorian model farm had previously been operated by Shropshire Council for 47 years but the authority said it was losing £168,000 per was handed back to the Acton Scott Estate in 2022 before trustees and volunteers got farm, now part of the Social Farms & Gardens charity, opened for a short period last year but the Easter weekend marks the start of its full opening as a registered charity. Acton Scott uses only horsepower and heritage methods to farm 20 acres of grazing, rare breed cattle, sheep, poultry and pigs. It appeared on the BBC's Victorian Farm series, and as a charity it will now provide opportunities to explore past, present and future farming, rural skills and crafts, the natural environment and wellbeing in an inclusive environment, Ms Lambert Jones said. "The farm is very much how people will remember but with a very enthusiastic group of people running it, demonstrating and making sure everybody has a good time," she added."It doesn't look hugely different but it is so beautiful it would be a shame to change anything anyway."Acton Scott Heritage Farm is open to visitors all Easter weekend including Easter Monday, and then every weekend through to October and between Wednesday and Mondays during school holidays. Follow BBC Shropshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
