Summary

Fordhall is a 140-acre organic farm bordering Market Drayton, Shropshire. The Hollins family has farmed it as tenants for three generations. Charlotte and Ben Hollins, the current tenants, launched The Fordhall Project in 2004 to transform the farm. As the landowner wants to sell the farm by August 2006, the aim is to secure the farm through a community buy out that will ensure permanently affordable access for farmers, and the community for a wide range of social, economic and cultural benefits.

Arthur Hollins (1915 - 2004) started as a tenant farmer at Fordhall in 1929 when his father passed away. Well known as an organic farming pioneer, he pioneered a year round free range outdoor grazing or foggage system, so that cattle can graze year round on resilient pastures for high quality meat on low input methods. Latterly, the farm became run down. However his children, Charlotte and Ben, now the tenants saw the potential for renewal through The Fordhall Project.

On February 3rd 2005, a wide variety of stakeholders agreed that the most desirable future was for a community farm buyout, in partnership with the Shropshire Wildlife Trust for Nature Conservation and other bodies. This would then lease the land to Fordhall Farm Ltd (the company Charlotte and Ben have created to run the business under) and other bodies using the land. The aim is to save Fordhall Farm, so that the 140 acres of species rich farmland can be developed for heritage, for example the old iron age fort, for access via footpaths, for wildlife via the extensive water meadows of the River Tern, for farming, education, social events and for land based businesses.

Currently, Charlotte and Ben lease the farm from the landowners. There is first the refusal on the farm purchase, with July 1st 2006 as the deadline for the community buy out.

The proposed structure is that The Fordhall Project incorporates as a Society for the Benefit of the Community (IPS), and owns the land. Fordhall IPS will have individual members from the community, and will also have institutional members such as the Shropshire Wildlife Trust, The Taste of the Town and the Stafford Soil Association Group. The aims are to:

• Mutualise the land assets of Fordhall Farm for community benefit
• Ensure permanently affordable access to the farm for farmers and the community
• Ensure the farm is managed sustainably, using organic framing methods, with appropriate management for wildlife, biodiversity, heritage, access, and to provide an educational and social resource.

Currently, the most likely option is that Fordhall IPS will raise the money to buy the farm, and then lease the land to Fordhall Farm Ltd under a comprehensive land use agreement that incorporates the interests of all parties - the farmers, the community and SWT. The farmhouse, buildings and structures on the land, perhaps with some exceptions for community facilities, will be bought and owned by Fordhall Farm Ltd. Under the IPS, there will be open membership to those agreeing to the aims and guiding values of The Fordhall Project. Fordhall IPS Members can buy returnable, but non-transferable and non-tradable shares, with one member and one vote at AGM’s to elect the Society Board. Members can also make loans of up to £20,000, with institutional members able to loan larger amounts.

The Fordhall Project is getting some facilitation, technical assistance and legal incorporation support from the CFLT Action Research Project. A fundraising group has been established with the Shropshire Wildlife Trust to raise the £800,000 needed from individuals, organisations and trusts with an Appeal Launch on September 28th 2005. As a charitable IPS for community benefit, charitable donations qualify for tax relief and gift aid. Fordhall Farm Ltd is exploring how much of a mortgage it can raise for purchasing the farm buildings and farmhouse with the security of a long lease and the personal credit of the farmers. They are also drawing up a Farm Business Plan, and identifying sources of grant finance available for the farm business for development and for capital investment. Educational, environmental, social and cultural projects under the Fordhall IPS umbrella will be able to secure charitable and grant funding when the land is secured.

Currently, farm activities include raising beef cattle, pigs and sheep with a butchers facility on the farm for farm meat sales via the farm shop. There is a recycled timber business based at the farm (run by Leeside Wood Recycling Project).

Fordhall Project members, supporters and local people hold regular day events and festivals, such as the 2004 Christmas Market and the recent 2005 May fair when up to 2000 people visited the farm for a family day of activities, country music, nature walks, and local produce/products stands.

A Nature Trail has been established and the hedgerows and fences are being repaired by means of a stewardship grant. A variety of volunteers have been working at the farm on a number of activities. These have included creating a Sweet Chestnut Post and rail fence, re-roofing the new farm shop, painting, fencing, strimming, and creating the nature trail and picnic area. Leeside Wood Recycling Project have played a large part in these activities, they have been making green furniture and provided recycled wood for the farm entrance sign.

The Fordhall Project is focused on fundraising, legal incorporation, publicity, business planning, social events and partnership building for the community buy out.

The current benefits offered by The Fordhall Project include access via the Nature Trail to the Norman Bailey site, to the farm and to the beautiful water meadows of the River Tern. It is valued as a bio diverse farm with rich herbage and wildlife in the middle of ‘a monocultural farm desert’.

The Taste of the Town (a Market Drayton organisation that promotes local food) values Fordhall as a local food producer and outlet and a friendly, well located venue for food and social events. Local people are keenly supportive of Fordhall Farm continuing to be accessible to young farmers, and to the community.

Future benefits that The Fordhall Project intends to offer are wide-ranging such as:

• Promoting healthy living and eating through education;
• Offering work experience to a variety of volunteers, school students and students, those with special learning needs and those undergoing rehabilitation as is individually appropriate;
• Enhancing the landscape through environmental improvements;
• Preserving biodiversity and wildlife;
• Acting as a green lung for Market Drayton;
• Workspace for land based social enterprises and businesses-job creation;
• Social and cultural space for meetings, events, courses etc;
• Reconnecting farming with local people through access and inclusion;
• Permissive trails and paths for education and recreation;
• Successful model of permanently affordable access to farm land for farmers and communities that others can learn from;
• Community capacity building and greater social cohesion;
• A valuable and enjoyable resource for all.

• Vital to identify the needs, interests and objectives of the different bodies concerned to guide the choice of structure;

• Even though this is a tenant farmer led process, there needs to be clarity about the community interest and the farmers interest, so that the farm land can be held in trust for perpetuity and funds secured for the buy out;

• The importance early on of clear legal and lease agreements to underpin relationships;

• To find and develop a structure such as the IPS for Community Benefit, that offers a variety of ways of formally? being involved, from annual membership, to shareholding, making loans and carrying out tasks such as serving on the Board and working groups such as fundraising;

• The value of community building events and excellent media coverage for building the image and appeal of Fordhall;

• Building on the Fordhall story to engage people, with Arthur Hollins as a nationally known pioneer and the current young tenants as part of the future of farming which seeks to reconnect the community with farms.

The Fordhall Appeal is launched on 28th September, with fundraising continuing in 2005-6, with legal incorporation. Once the farm is secured, land use, management and business plans will be finalised with the lease with Fordhall Farm Ltd agreed. The education, social, environmental program of The Fordhall Project can then be realised from Autumn 2006 onwards.