Our attitude to the environment comes from our values, particularly growing up as farmers and living and working in the same place all our lives. This has given us an intimate knowledge of the land here- the soil, the trees, wildlife and landscape. We want to run our business in a way that is in keeping with our values and that adds to something to our local and wider environment.
We believe in maintaining the ‘local distinctiveness’ of our place:- making use of materials from our site- trees and stones- in our new building; using our own produce- vegetable and fruit, eggs and honey; managing our existing woods and planting new areas with native species every year; developing an orchard with local apple and other fruit varieties; knowing our history and telling the stories associated with this place.
Closely linked to this is the importance to us of supporting our wildlife diversity. We try to protect the different habitats we have and encourage insect life and flowers as well as birds, fish and animals. People matter too and it is important to us to use local suppliers and to maintain links with family, neighbours and the local community. We subscribe to the idea developed by the New Economics Foundation of the ‘local multiplier effect’ which argues that spending locally means that money stays local and passes through many more people’s hands. This does not mean being parochial. We like to try new ideas and do things differently and to engage with people from different places and backgrounds.
We also believe in managing our land productively and multifunctionally. Using well what we have such as a woodland that is a habitat for wildlife, a landscape feature, a source of renewable energy and building material as well as a place to walk and relax in. Or a golf course fairway that also acts as a feeding ground for thrushes and hares, a flood plain for the River Conder and a place for people to enjoy their leisure activity.
