Organic farm open day offers glimpse of exciting future

Fundraisers fighting to safeguard the future of a Shropshire organic farm by introducing more community focused and educational activities will be showcasing their plans at a free farm open day on April 19th.

Visitors to the event at Babbinswood Farm, near Oswestry, will have the chance to try out some of the family-friendly and hands-on sessions as well as getting an update on the fundraising.

The Babbinswood Farm Community Benefit Society - a type of charitable co-operative - wants to buy part of the farm so that the land can be used for organic farming and community activities rather than being sold on the open market with the risk of commercial development.

Between £800,000 and £1.5m through community shares, donations and grants is needed by the end of September this year to put 117 acres of the farm into community ownership. This land includes woodland and buildings intended for social and environmental activities, such as arts clubs and traditional craft workshops

“Education is a big part of that vision. The open day at Easter will feature guided farm walks and nature-based kid’s activities such as planting seeds and a bird and bug survey,” said farmer Casha Bowles-Jones, who aims to become tenant farmer to the community under the co-op scheme.

She said she became aware of how important access to nature was for child wellbeing while working with children in crisis in a past job as an outdoor educator.

"Ever since coming back to the farm in 2017, I’ve wanted to put more educational activities on at the farm," said Casha.

“But being a full-time farmer is just so busy - a dawn to dusk job. But now with more people from the community involved in the farm, we can finally do it.”

Details of the community ownership scheme plus the organic farming system and pioneering cow and calf dairy herd will all be on show at the open day on April 19 from 12noon to 5pm.

As well as the outdoor studies, an Easter egg trail plus hot and cold refreshments in the farm shop, seed bomb making, and a nature scavenger hunt will be happening.

Members of the community benefit society will also be on hand to answer questions about their campaign to place part of the farm in community ownership.

The campaign has already raised almost £90,000 in eight weeks in community shares and donations. Volunteers are also applying for significant grants.

The community benefit society aims to put part of the farm in community ownership and lease the pasture and some of the buildings back to the farming family, Barbara Jones and her daughter Casha Bowles-Jones, whose family have farmed at Babbinswood for five generations.

The rent collected from the farmers will then be used for community activities on the farm. Their initial plans include dog-friendly walks across the farmland and a community woodland.

The scheme is almost identical to that at Fordhall Farm, Market Drayton, which became England’s first community owned farm after a similar campaign in 2006. Charlotte Hollins, who led that campaign, is now a key advisor and a director of Babbinswood Farm CBS.

Further information on the fund raising and community shares is available on the website babbinswoodfarmcbs.org.uk or by emailing future@babbinswoodfarmcbs.org.uk.