Leys Farm is our home, and has been for a long time.
We built our house here, raised our family here, and we plan to live out our time cherishing this beautiful place we have helped to shape over the years.
I no longer think in terms of ownership. Age brings change and, if you are lucky, it also brings perspective. I now think of myself as a steward – here for a finite stretch of time – with a responsibility to care for and nurture the land so that it is left in good heart for whoever the next steward may be.
In the post-war years, near-starvation forced the British government to legislate so farmers could grow more food, often at fair but tightly controlled prices. The aim was self-sufficiency and food security, and in many ways it worked. What went largely unremarked at the time, however, was the environmental cost: miles of hedgerows ripped out and the widespread introduction of chemicals whose consequences we would only understand much later. Silent Spring offers a powerful insight into this period.
During those years the farmer here was a man called Lesley Fox. He was hardworking, resourceful, and – of course – humble. He kept a few dairy cows, some sheep and pigs, and grew arable crops. Along the way he owned a combine harvester, several tractors, numerous implements, and a wire-tying baler. He paid his bills, brought up a family, and on wet days wore a hessian seed sack over his shoulders.
All of this on sixty acres.
Times have changed. Financially, farming is now far harder, and diversification is no longer optional. Today we host weddings, run an off-grid cabin, and at the same time direct our every effort toward rehabilitating the landscape through sound agricultural practice.
We plant pollinators and wildflowers. We grow seed crops for wild birds to feed on through the winter, and we supplement that feed to give as many as possible a chance to survive the hungry months and breed in the spring.
This is only a brief overview, and it misses a great deal. But I think of this as a marathon, not a sprint. Over time, I want to tell you more – and, if you’re willing, invite you to walk alongside us as we share the ongoing story of this place and our attempt to care for it well
If you would like to experience this landscape for yourself, our off-grid cabin overlooks the lake and woodland described above, while The Wild Collective offers wood-fired sauna sessions throughout the year.