We have just had our first drastic haircut here on the farm, clearing the drainage ditches or ‘Rhynes’ for the first time in an estimated 15 years was never going to be a gentle or subtle move. Our plans to install infrastructure for a community farm look quite exciting on paper but the reality of carrying them through is very confronting to our personal commitments to the land. However, we are reminding ourselves that in all processes of creation, some old growth or patterns must be shed.
It was regrettable that more care wasn’t taken when clearing the overhanging willow along the Sydenham’s rhyne side but this extensive clearing has opened up a blocked waterway revealing a decade of litter and fly tipping that had dug itself into the banks. We are required to carefully manage drainage of the site on these two edges of the fields; conditional of land ownership, planning permission and for habitat restoration. Willow is so keen to grow and we are starting to use this bounty of trimmings to plant more trees and hedges. Rest assured that we will be able to maintain the remainder of the ditches in a far gentler manner with sections on higher ground being encouraged as wetland habitats.
This autumn/winter season will see more infrastructure developments commencing – putting in temporary access roads to the construction sites for the barn and roundhouse much of which will be fringed with willow hedges to support sustainable flood risk management of the tracks as they gradually fade back to grass. We are hoping to make some adjustments to the plans and install much of our required car parking spaces alongside the rhyne and behind our new hedgerows so that we can keep this access clear in future avoiding unnecessary encroachment of permanent hard-standing onto the meadows.
And the Good News is….
As I began writing this newsletter with all of us here processing the loss of our front bramble hedge and willows we received a full approval from our planning application! This is very new news and there are some conditions which we are slowly sifting through but the Glastonbury Regenerative Food and Farming Centre aka Bridie’s Farm is now a permitted agricultural and educational centre for our local community to shape and cultivate for many, many decades to come!
Certainly this project will be able to support us in whatever turbulence we may be facing as a community, establishing a hub for nature based learning and a massive boost to our local food security and local futures.
We are currently finishing off the installation of facilities for our volunteers hub ready for our upcoming tree and hedgerow planting events In December and January. More news and dates in the links below.
We will send out a reminder and more news next month, until then wishing you a nourishing and immersive Samhain season – Bridie’s Farm Team 🙂
Upcoming Farm Events
Hedging and Fedging:
Sunday December 10th. 10.30am-3.30pm
Come and get creative with willow hedging. We will be planting the first of many fedge edges along the tracks and crafting a sculptural piece around our medicine circle. Full details to come, With lunchtime soup and hot drinks in our cosy warm space!
Tree planting: January 27th/28th
Exact date that weekend to be confirmed but we will be planting some more mature trees into our Forest Garden.
Local Futures
Highlighting links and resources from the brilliant Local Futures Bristol based collective:
“Connecting the dots between our social, economic, ecological and spiritual crises, and showing how localizing can help solve them all.”
VIDEO LINK
Planet Local: A Quiet Revolution
Inspiring and uplifting, begs us to question what lives we would be living in a world not dominated by competition and violence.
Wilder Communities
Somerset Community Food
Bridie’s Farm are hosting a stall at the Somerset Community Food event in Somerton on Saturday November 18th. It is heartwarming to see how much enthusiasm and support there is for growing and providing healthy local food here in the South West.
Hope to see you there!
Red Brick News Flash
Thank you to everyone who donated to our Garden Crowdfunder, we raised £1618
which will go towards keeping the community garden up and running and some much needed attention to the garden hut 🙌. Snug/Snug Lounge is on Thursdays 12pm – 5pm, enjoy some gentle company, create and get support from Glastonbury Mental Health Network if you need, free hearty soup too.
