Group accommodation in the High Weald, England
How this holiday makes a difference
Environment
We have an Environmental Plan in place for our business and life at the farm which sets out our goals and seeks continual improvement. We chose suppliers that buy in to the same goals and we encourage our guests use local suppliers, particularly the farm and village shops selling local produce.
Our plan has been in place for five years whilst we have restored the Grade II Listed farm buildings, preserving cultural heritage of the area, and constructed new eco-lodge tree houses from sustainable timber. Although the farm buildings are Grade II Listed, they are over insulated, exceeding building control regulations, retaining heat as efficiently as possible. Looking forward, systems have been designed that incorporate both solar PV and air source heat pumps, both of which require significant capital investment including an upgrade of the local sub-main transformer. Our plan calculates capital investment requirements and aims to introduce renewable energy and ultimately become self-sufficient. The plan even includes proposals for utilising water from a medieval well already on the site and/or a bore hole, using the existing mains water only as a back-up.
Our environmental plan also considers the habitation of wildlife on and around the farm, outlining how we plan to maintain our commitment to conserving wildlife. Our agricultural land is always left with borders and hedgerows are not over maintained, allowing the birds and bees to thrive. Guests may notice that efforts have been made to encourage rare owls and other birds on the state using nest enticement boxes. As well as seeing hearing woodpeckers, owls and other birds, appropriate land management means you will continue to see runs and habitats for all forms of wildlife on our land.
The gardens around the buildings are well maintained but the plants are allowed to ‘breathe’ naturally, encouraging wildlife by keeping log piles and letting plants naturally evolve through the seasons whilst our pond is full of life.
Guests are able to separate paper, cardboard, plastic, glass and green waste in to separate bins provided, all of which is recycled, minimising land fill as much as possible. Our aim is 0% land fill.
Community
Our Guest Guide directs guests to local shops and businesses that share our values. Working together as a community our businesses can thrive, not just survive, and it is our same guests that reap the rewards, with some of the best quality and value for money produce available.
By attracting customers with similar values to ours we help to build good relationships between visitors and the local community. Whilst the local community learn that an appropriate balance of tourism, whilst not detracting from what it is we all love about the area, is hugely beneficial for the community, the visitors in turn experience a warm welcome.
As a member of our local Chamber of Commerce, we work closely with other local businesses, actively addressing local issues and providing support to local events which the whole community benefit from. For example, we campaigned for funding and instigated the introduction of a wireless broadband mesh in the valley, whereby about 40 rural residents and small businesses without broadband can now share 3 or 4 broadband connections using wireless technology.
We employ several local people part time, all of whom understand and help promote our values, vital for the success of our business and community.
Landscape
In addition to our four star grading assessment, Fair Oak Farm has been awarded a Quality in Tourism award for welcoming walkers and cyclists. OS maps are provided in the properties along with many other published maps and local guides that include walking and cycling routes. Endless walks are available in every direction from the farm through woodland or open land, via lakes, streams and land dedicated for protected wildlife habitats. We have also mapped a route that combines parts of several published walks, guiding our guests through woodland and wonderful landscapes in to Mayfield village, crossing streams, through medieval iron age land marks and arriving at a country pub for refreshments!
Apart from the changing colour of the leaves, the woodland and landscape varies according to season whether it be the first snowdrops in January or the sea of bluebells through the woodlands in the Spring.
We work closely with the community to help keep the footpaths accessible whilst sustaining the landscape for future generations.
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