Mary heads for her dream - sharing summer on the farm
1 June 2010
When Mary Cope from Upper Longdon near Rugeley in Staffordshire, was young she wanted to be a teacher, but she fell in love and married a farmer... ...so that was that!
Now 30 years later Mary is realising her dream by hosting educational visits to the family farm at Beaudesert Park Farm, near Lichfield in Staffordshire – and this summer she’s hoping to welcome her 100th group.
“I secured a place at a teachers’ training college after I left school,” said Mary, ”but when I met my husband Daniel, I gave it up and worked in a bank, before joining him on the farm, but I kept my dream of working with children. We began hosting farm visits as part of our Higher Level Stewardship scheme”, said Mary, ”so my dream has come true at last”.
Agri-environment schemes, are voluntary agreements, which pay farmers to manage their land in an environmentally friendly way, bringing together the goals of both conservationists and food producers. Through these schemes, which are administered by Natural England, funds are available to host free educational farm visits for children, young people and other interest groups.
The aim is to reconnect children and young people with farming, food production and a greater appreciation of the countryside.
“Our farm is very elevated here, three quarters of it is in the Cannock Chase Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty” said Mary, “ so we’ve always had to work hand in hand with nature, and Environmental Stewardship is an extension of this. We have restored habitats and grassland and introduced rare breed cattle – White Parks which are the oldest native English breed - so there’s lots to see here”
“The first year I had a few groups of adults, and went for training, and now we confidently welcome all ages with lots of youngsters from schools and community groups. Our latest innovation has been to build a dedicated timber classroom, with funding from Natural England, which will be in use for the first time this summer.”
“Farmers are sometimes cautious of visitors but this way we are able to encourage them into a safe environment and share life on the farm.”
“As well as the youngsters we welcome senior schools, students and business and community groups. They often arrive thinking the landscape would look as it does without farming-they have no idea how connected the two are-so we are saying; ‘this is what we do here and how we do it”.
“ Educational Access farm visits are my baby, and have enabled me to combine my love of farming with my love of children. I am set to reach my 100th group during the summer term, which will make all the hard work and investment worth while”.
Satpal Kang from Natural England said:
“‘By providing Agri-environment scheme funding for projects such as the classroom facility at Beaudesert Park Farm, and through working with enthusiastic and passionate people like Mary, we are providing a fantastic and fun opportunity for children to visit working farms and learn firsthand about farming, conservation and where there food comes from.”
There are currently 115 Educational Access Agreements across the West Midlands and last year over 28,000 children visited our farms. Through the scheme Natural England has funded educational classrooms, toilets, handwashing facilities, trailers, pond dipping jetties, bird hides and educational resources, to enhance the quality of farm visits and provide a safe outdoor environment for children to enjoy.
To find your nearest farm visit cwr.naturalengland.org.uk
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Sunday 13th June is Open Farm Sunday
For more information contact Judie Kellie on 01299 896 555/ 07973 744161 mailto:judie@jkpr.co.uk or Dean Gallen on Dean.G.Gallen@naturalengland.org.uk
Notes to editors
Natural England is the government’s independent adviser on the natural environment. Established in 2006 our work is focused on enhancing England’s wildlife and landscapes and maximising the benefits they bring to the public.
Environmental Stewardship
England led the way with Agri-environment schemes in 1987, when they were first introduced in response to rapid, post-war, intensive farming methods and the corresponding loss in wildlife and landscape character. Conserving hedgerows and field margins and reducing fertiliser use were among their key aspects. 66% of agricultural land in the West Midlands is now covered by Agri-Environment schemes.
Key facts about Environmental Stewardship
- Early schemes, Environmentally Sensitive Areas (ESA) and Countryside Stewardship (CSS), are now being replaced by Environmental Stewardship, launched in 2005, which build on the experience gained over two decades. Taking all the schemes together they encompass more than 58,000 agreements, covering around 66 per cent of agricultural land in England.
- Declining habitats are now being protected and restored, with some threatened farmland birds. 41% of English hedgerows are now managed under Agri-environment schemes.
- Educational visits to local farms are leading to a better understanding of food production and farming. Last year over 300 school visits were held at farms in our region
- 66 per cent of the land in the West Midlands that is designated as ‘Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty’ (AONB) is benefiting from these agreements. This includes Cannock Chase, The Malvern Hills, the Wye Valley and the Shropshire Hills.
- Uplands, like the Long Mynd in Shropshire, benefit from protection and restoration under Agri-environment schemes, whilst Sutton Park in Birmingham benefits from the largest urban Agri-environment scheme in the West Midlands, worth nearly £1 million over 10 years, for heathland restoration, research and woodland management.
- There is a revival of hay meadow management across the West Midlands within Environmental Stewardship schemes.
- As well as the natural environment and species, historic features sited on farmland are protected under Agri-environment schemes including battlesites, historic farm buildings and forts so that the character of the landscape is preserved.
In the future, it’s hoped that Agri-environment schemes will help to prepare us for the adverse effects of climate change, through activities like the restoration of peat bogs on the Fenns and Whixall National Nature Reserve in Shropshire, which will help in carbon capture.
For information about Environmental Stewardship Schemes go to www.naturalengland.org.uk/es
