Kiwi at Fordhall Farm

Margaret came to volunteer at Fordhall Farm for a week earlier in the year. She is from New Zealand and read about Fordhall in Country Living. This is an extract from her account of her time at the farm...

"Woah! I could handle my brother tripping me up anytime, but by a few dozen sturdy sheep while I've got a sack of corn on my shoulders? That was trouble.

Now, hold the sack up, rip the string, and put the feed evenly in the three troughs. No problemo! It's just my arms couldn't seem to hold the sack up after the marathon walk to get there, and I swear there was a knot in the string... I wondered if I put it down, whether it would be easier. That was double trouble.

The pregnant sheep were at it like a swarm of bees, I got separated from the corn, and the next thing I knew, one of the blighters had snaggled it's way between my legs and I was being carried off into the sunrise! Only I didn't get that far. When I fell off I was surrounded by dinky hooves, a moving maze of wool, and the frustrated baa's of hungry mother-to-be sheep."I thought I'd lost ya there for a minute!" Ben grinned after the job was complete. It had taken a month and a half for the bullocks to get me down in the mud in Cornwall, this was the first job on the first day in Shropshire!

Welcome to Fordhall Farm."

St. Wilfreds visit Fordhall

The benefits of Fordhall Farm as an educational resource slowly expand as more children visit and enjoy the farm.

Two weeks ago we had a visit from the St. Wilfreds Youth Group from Cheshire. We walked around the farm, they saw the animals and they learnt about the farming system Ben uses at Fordhall. They all thoroughly enjoyed the visit and one young boy even knew what 'Foggage Farming' was! It was pleasing to meet children who were already aware of the pressures of food production and everyday lives on the natural environment.

"It is great to see someone doing so much for the environment in an age of global warming"
David, Age 14.

CLICK HERE to see photos from their visit to Fordhall.

Great changes at Fordhall Farm

Another amazing volunteer weekend which has left fantastic results around the farm. The activities over Saturday 21st and Sunday 22nd of April have included the following: Planting wildflower seeds along the roadside; litter picking; sanding and varnishing benches; planting trees; chopping logs; fencing; seperating logs; fixing a pig ark and fitting a temporary kitchen for a forthcoming 2 week Permaculture course. The farm was buzzing with busy volunteers!

The volunteer weekends are every 6-8 weeks and there is always a huge mix of jobs over the weekend. Because Fordhall Farm is a working farm it is difficult to finalise the jobs until nearer the date as they often depend on what is needed at the time.

Each volunteer weekend introduces new people to Fordhall Farm and gives people the opportunity to learn new skills, meet fantastic like-minded people, and work outdoors.

If you would like to help out at the events hosted by Fordhall Community Land Initiative please check the website for dates. The next large event is Fordhall Family Fun Day and as many volunteers are needed for this day. Of course, there are other ways of volunteering which include making cakes to either fuel our volunteers or for the Initiative to sell in slices to raise funds.

To take part in future volunteer weekends or to discuss any of the above, please contact Sophie at project@fordhallfarm.com or 01630 638656. Booking is essential as places are restricted.

Volunteers Steam Ahead

Another working weekend is in full swing at Fordhall Farm. The main objectives for the weekend are: To fit a temporary community kitchen, to plant wild flower seeds along the hedgerow and to plant trees from a carbon offsetting compay tomorrow. So far, its looking good.

Volunteers are still working, keen to get through the jobs. Logs have been chopped, benches sanded and varnished, parts of the barn cleared and a pig hutch mended. Everyone has really enjoyed themselves and are looking forward to another day working on Fordhalll Farm tomorrow.

For more information on how you can be involved contact Sophie at project@fordhallfarm.com or 01630 638656. The next weekends are: June 9-10 and June 30 - July 1st which includes the annual Fordhall Family Fun Day.

Don't forget - today is the start of National Welly Week. Full of interesting information!

Baby Animals Everywhere at Fordhall

As we prepare for the forthcoming volunteer weekend on April 21-22 and the extremely long and busy summer ahead, the farm is bustling with new ideas and inhabitants.

As the sun beats down at Fordhall and raises the temperature in the oven like portacabin, the farm is full of baby animals making their presence felt. The piglets are playing around in their newly constructed pens and the lambs are getting bigger and stronger day by day - they will happily knock you over for food now! We even have 5 kittens that are just discovering their feet and every step is carefully thought through, but usually ends up too wobbley and they topple over.

Above is a picture of a newly born calf. There is a 'step-by-step' photo collection of his birth, but these are not on the blog just in case any of you are eating lunch and come across them unexpectedly. Today is a day to be remembered for the yong bullocks at Fordhall. Farmer Ben gathered them all in the small paddock behind the Dutch Barn yesterday. They merrily challenged one another for a sense of superiority, playing around in the field and staring one another down. This morning however, there is a sense of calm amongst the group. Not for long! Today Farmer Ben, aided by a skilled volunteer, is removing their manhood. Yes, go ahead, cross your legs. I am assured that this is only a 'pinch' and the younger the better as it is less painful. Still, it is a little uncomforatble to watch!

So think of us and we do hope you are able to come and visit Fordhall Farm this summer, if not only to see the limping bullocks, but also to see how much it blossoms in the summer.

First Ever AGM weekend a HUGE success!

The first ever Annual General Meeting for the Fordhall Community Land Initiative based at Fordhall Farm in North Shropshire has been hailed an overwhelming success.

After being saved from development and placed into community ownership last July through the sale of not-for-profit shares to over 8000 people from across the world, we organised our first meeting and our first community vote.

The day was a fantastic success. The vote involved some discussion from shareholders as they took their opportunity to be involved in the farms future. All 14 board members were successfully elected, and a welcomed local food banquet finished off the mornings activities.

Patrick Holden from the Soil Association was the afternoon's keynote speaker, and others included Charlotte and Ben Hollins, Tom Woolley, an expert on Natural Building and the Development Manager from Shropshire Wildlife Trust.

However, we must pass on a special thanks to Tom Oliver (Head of Rural Policy from the Campaign to Protect Rural England) for holding the day together and keeping everyone to schedule. Even Charlotte did not run over her time!

Over 100 people attended the conference and evening ceilidh, with over a 1000 attending the food festival and family day at the farm on April 1st.

The food festival included 20 local produce stalls, live folk music, baby lambs, piglets, baby chicks, guided walks, woodland games, organic tea and coffee, homemade cakes, Fordhall BBQ, displays and more... Not only did all the volunteers enjoy the day, but the stall holders did too. Many have commented on the polite nature and friendly atmosphere that all the visitors brought with them - so a big thank you to all those who came or baked cakes for us to sell (the cakes raised almost £500).

We could not ask for better weather or a better response. It was a truly amazing weekend and the best way to celebrate the Initiatives 1st Anniversay. So, with one event over its now time to start planning the Summer Faire for July 1st. The Anniversary of Saving Fordhall Farm.

Thank you to all the volunteers who ensured the weekend was so fantastic- from flower arranging to cake baking to running activities on Sunday. You have all been amazing!

See you all on JULY 1st!

Preparations for Fordhall's first ever AGM

As the weekend's activities loom, volunteers are pulling together and helping with preparations for the events. Fordhall Community Land Initiaitive's first every AGM is on Saturday March 31st at The Grove School, Market Drayton, 10am-12. Following this is an exciting conference (£15) with Partick Holden, director of the Soil Association, speaking about the future of farming and how Fordhall Farm is leading the way. Also speaking at the conference is Tom Wolley, a sustainable buildings expert who is advising the team on how to progress forward.

The day is being chaired by Tom Oliver, head of rural policies at CPRE and a long-standing supporter of the Initiative. Both Charlotte and Ben Hollins will be speaking and the day will be rounded off by a contribution from John Hughes, development manager at the Shropshire Wildlife Trust.

In the evening there is a partner-swinging, toes clipping ceilidh barn dance also at The Grove School. Tickets are £10 (£5 for children) and include a hog roast.

To finish off this fantastic weekend, there will be a FOOD FESTIVAL at Fordhall Farm on Sunday April 1st, 11-4pm. Expect to see a wide variety of local producers, games for the children and lots of lambs, piglets and calves. The nature trail will also be open with an example Forest School hidden in the woodland. Entrance is free and there is a BBQ and refreshments. Not to be missed!

See you all there x

Biggest Lamb Ever!

Fordhall is ringing with the noise of baa's from every angle. With around 90 lambs so far there is plenty of skipping and jumping going on, and thats just the volunteers.

Modelled by Farmer Ben and 'Courier' Dave is the largest new-born lamb yet. The picture above was taken only 12 hours after the lamb was born and its massive!

You can see the lambs in the fields when you come to the Fordhall Food Festival on April 1st (11-4pm). A couple of lambs will be available for children to see them up close and personal. Also on the day will be a fantastic local food festival, live folk music, the Nature Trail and lots more fun activities for children and families.

We look forward to seeing you there. Bring your wellies if its raining!

Permaculture Design course at Fordhall

After the success of last year, we are holding another 2 week Permaculture Design course at Fordhall Farm. It will run from April 28th until May 12th, and I can assure you they are great fun.

You will learn the art of sustainable design that can later be applied to your house, garden, farmland or even window sill. The course is based at Fordhall and accommodation will be provided in our fantastic locally built yurts. This is an experience you wont forget, or regret.

More information on this great course run by Hannah Thorogood and Aranya can be found at
http://www.designedvisions.com/Courses/Fordhall%20Farm%20PDC%20Apr%20May%2007.htm
(the pictures at the bottom of this link were taken on last years course at Fordhall).

Fordhall Farm’s methods are spreading!

Written by Tanya and Laura


This weekend we’ve had a fantastic time visiting Fordhall Farm to see all the work that’s going on the Farm and to hear about how it all started. We’re hoping to use some of the ideas in order to save a Grade II* listed building which is in need of urgent restoration to give it a new lease of life. Tanya is a Fordhall shareholder and, talking about Fordhall with friends, saw that the model of community involvement might also be used to help save Sockburn Hall. We decided this was a great excuse to come and visit the Farm – especially when we heard that we could stay in a yurt!

Our weekend at Fordhall has given us some really memorable moments… from the compost toilet and the nature trail to feeding lambs with Farmer Ben and envelope stuffing with Chatty Charlotte! It’s been amazing to see the enthusiasm and spirit that got the project started and that’s still going strong. We really appreciate the welcome we received and the brilliant advice from everyone here. Seeing the results of the initiative is a great boost and really makes us feel that the Sockburn project has a chance of success.


Sockburn is a beautiful house south of Darlington which has been in my family for fifty years but which has fallen into a state of disrepair to the extent that it can’t be lived in at the moment because of a lack of funds for renovation and ongoing maintenance. If we can’t find a way to make Sockburn financially sustainable then it is likely that it would have to be sold to developers risking a change to the character of the house and its history being lost. Our aim is to make the house safe again and make it a useable asset for anyone who wants to be involved.

Seeing Fordhall in action has crystallised the importance of putting people and the community at the centre of any project. Sockburn and Fordhall have many similarities – the younger generation’s desire to keep working on something that has been in the family for many years and the need to make what results financially and ecologically sustainable. All we’ve seen here really makes us feel that achieving what seems impossible is in fact a real possibility. Thank you, Fordhall!

If you are interested in Sockburn, or have any help or advice to offer, then email me: sockburn@gmail.com