At the start of May, we were joined by Nightingale KS2 and what an energetic and joyful week this was! The young people loved the basketball courts, the lambs, the hike… you name it, they threw themselves into every aspect of the farm. Nightingale are a long standing partner who use a week on the farm as part of their provision for both primary and secondary aged young people, and we are always thrilled to work so closely with them.
It’s always a pleasure to welcome back our long standing local partner, Bishops of Hereford. It was the first week with our fantastic new music therapist, Afra, and both young people and visiting staff alike showed much enthusiasm and pride in the songs they created and shared. We were even blessed with a dedicated Jamie’s Farm anthem, including a line about each member of the team!
We were then joined by Warwickshire Children’s Services, which was a transformative week for all involved. It was a privilege for the team to give young people from Sudan, Iraq, Ethiopia and Afghanistan a week on the farm. There was lots of cooking of food from home countries, with a special shout out to the Kurdish flatbreads and hummus. Music also underpinned the week, culminating in an evening of dancing and singing around the campfire on the final night.
Alicia and her dog, Bonnie, had a wonderful week in London, catching up with Heathmere Primary School, Harris Wimbledon and the Charter School North Dulwich. It was a sunny and joyful week, with many lovely dog walks around local parks, fantastic conversations with parents about how their young people have changed since the farm, and of course lots of baking and sharing food and picnics with the groups.
We have finished lambing! The lambs are out in the fields and enjoying the grass, which is growing well. We are grazing the stock on a small area on 12 hour moves as part of our regenerative mob grazing process. Our herbal leys are about to reseeded as part of our ongoing mission to improve soil health on the farm. We have been selectively contributing to Mow May across the farm too. Some areas will not be mowed until well after May, as we feel this will give those areas the best chance to take root and improve biodiversity.
A solar system, including panels and batteries, is being installed onto our cattle shed roof. We hope that all of our electricity will be sourced from this before too long! In conjunction with our biomass boiler, this means the majority of our energy will be generated sustainably. We are also pleased to have renewed our long standing agreement with the Herefordshire Wildlife Trust to graze their wildflower meadows to improve biodiversity. Â
We are recruiting for a Farm Manager to join us! Enjoy a fun, supportive and dynamic environment, with outstanding facilities providing the perfect backdrop to your work. If you know a dedicated farmer looking for an exciting opportunity, send them our way. Learn more here.
