Author – Charlotte Marshall. Positioned between the iconic chalk streams of the Hampshire Avon and Poole Harbour’s Frome and Piddle, the Stour hasn’t always been considered a high priority catchment, the Cinderella Stream? Although winterbournes and chalk streams feature amongst the tributaries, the River Allen, a chalk stream tributary of the Stour is home to […]
Stour Headwaters Project – Cinderella Catchment? Read More »
Author – Jenny Salter. In 2022 Gloucestershire successfully joined the Sustainable Food Places programme, with the Gloucestershire Food and Farming Partnership (GFFP) hosting the county membership, FWAG SW hosting the Project Coordinator, and Feeding Gloucestershire providing funding and support. The Gloucestershire Food and Farming Partnership’s vision was to draw together food and farming, health and
Sustainable Food Systems Supporting Gloucestershire to become a Sustainable Food Place Read More »
As part of the council-led Climate Emergency Strategy for Somerset, published in 2020, FWAG South West developed the Barometer Farms project. In 2022, ten farms were chosen from across the county to be used as case studies for the project. The farms encompass a wide range of landscapes and farming types. For each farm, the
Author: Kate Harris (Communications Officer) & Jacky Cherry (Cornwall KAS Coordinator) Target Audience: Schools, public, farmers, funders. Introduction The Cornwall Kingfisher Award Scheme (KAS) began in 2008 and each year since has supported nearly 300 children from 6 schools to get out on a local farm and see for themselves how food is produced and
Author: Bea Oliver. Summary In May, farmer Henry-James Gay welcomed four school groups to his farm near Tetbury to learn about nutrient cycles on his dairy farm, Duchy Home Farm. FWAG staff, along with Farm Carbon Toolkit and volunteers, delivered two field days of on-farm educational activities to 126 children from four local schools, across
Kingfisher Award Scheme, Gloucestershire 2025 Read More »
Author: Neve Bray. Introduction The Kingfisher Award Scheme (KAS) has been running in Dorset for three years. In 2024, it was hosted by the generous Tory family at Charisworth Farm. The Torys have beef cattle, arable crops and grassland. The field days took place in May and consisted of three activities focussed on the theme
Providing learning opportunities for children in Dorset Read More »
Introduction The Future Farming Resilience Fund (FFRF) is funded by DEFRA and provides general business advice to farmers and landowners. If the farm has received direct support payments since October 2022, they can get this expert support free of charge. This support is offered through group workshops, webinars, tours, farm visits and one-to-one advice to
Supporting farmers through the Future Farming Resilience Fund Read More »
Author: Joanna Uglow. If you asked someone to describe a dung beetle, they would probably paint a picture of a shiny black beetle rolling a ball of dung across a desert. While this type, known as rollers, are common in warmer climates of the southern hemisphere, we have dwellers, tunnellers and stealers making up
Author: Joanna Uglow. Earthworms play an essential role in soil health and productivity, but many agricultural soils have become degraded and have very small populations. Earthworms provide benefits in the following ways: Better and more stable soil structure Create burrows which aerate the soil and allow water to infiltrate Worm casts are crumb-like and contribute
Author: Neve Bray. The Young Explorers Project ran from April 2023 until December 2024. FWAG South West were asked to facilitate the Young Explorers Project on behalf of Dorset National Landscape (DNL). The development of this project derives from DNL-led research which found that young people’s priorities in ‘accessing’ the Dorset National Landscape are: public
The Young Explorers Project: working with young people and farmers Read More »
