Fordhall Organic Farm, England’s first community-owned farm, in Shropshire has received a Shropshire Green Spaces and Active Travel Fund grant, which will support their plans to implement a River-Friendly Farming project on-site.

Fordhall’s newest project aims to slow the flow, store more water on-site, clean more of their water and provide places for wildlife, livestock and people to enjoy the benefits of a healthy water system.

Charlotte Hollins, General Manager of the Fordhall Community Land Initiative, the community landlord of the site, said “The survey of the River Tern was really disappointing and whilst the ponds and streams at Fordhall fared far better, knowing our river needed help was enough to inspire a whole new project! The poor state of the UK’s waterways is only too well documented, and so Fordhall is now hoping to become an effective example of ‘river-friendly farming’ alongside many other wonderful projects happening in Shropshire.

“There is a lot we plan to do through our new River Friendly Farm project including, cow bathing pools, which mean the livestock can access water to drink, bathe and cool down in the summer months in a location that means any slurry will be cleaned away by plants before entering a watercourse. We will plant apple trees along the river banks to reduce erosion and provide food sources for wild animals like our native and struggling water vole. We will also deepen and restore Castle Hill Pond, to allow it to hold more water onsite to support flood risks and create a habitat for insects and birds.”

As a community-owned farm, the team at the Fordhall Community Land Initiative are excited to get going with their plans to connect water-kind farming practises with the community. This includes the construction of a new bird hide at Castle Hill Pond and an extended pond dipping platform. All of which will be available free for members of the public, schools or groups to access.

Charlotte said “We were overwhelmed and extremely grateful to our community for responding to our appeal, which meant we qualified for an amazing £10,493 grant from Shropshire Council.

We are especially excited about the new bird hide as part of the project, which will be built with vulnerable young people who access our alternative provision.”

Working in partnership with the local secondary schools, these young people will help design the hide as well as developing woodworking and conservation skills throughout the project, leaving them with certificates and work experience for their CV and a project they can be proud to have worked on.

Charlotte said: “We are all aware of the need to clean up and look after our delicate aquatic habitats. Our River-Friendly farming project be a partnership between the Fordhall Community Land Initiative and our tenant farmer, Ben Hollins. Throughout the project we will reduce the amount of runoff into the River Tern, encourage wildlife, support the welfare of our animals, improve the quality of our water courses and provide resources for our local community which will help build a love and appreciation for water. Providing experiences for everyone to enjoy and watch bird life, or to explore the fascinating creatures which reside in the aquatic environment are really important to us.”

To find out more, and to support this project, please visit: spacehive.com