Moreton bed and breakfast in the Cotswolds, England
How this holiday makes a difference
Environment
At Old Farm we are committed to providing a good quality service whilst minimising the environmental impact of our activities. The Farm is a member of LEAF (Linking Environment and Farming) and the B&B is now a member of the Green Tourism Business Scheme.
The scheme provides accreditation and encouragement for tourism businesses to reduce the environmental impact of their activities. Some of the measures we have implemented are listed below.
Food:
All of our breakfast ingredients are home produced (sausage, bacon and eggs) or local (depending on seasonal availability) keeping food miles to a minimum. We use ‘Fairtrade’ tea, coffee, hot chocolate and sugar. Food waste is minimised by asking guests to let us know what they would like for breakfast the night before so we only cook what is required. Suitable food waste is fed to the domestic animals and hens. Packaging waste is also minimised as our vegetables are delivered loose in boxes and we use bottled milk form our local dairy.
Lighting:
At the time of replacement we use low-energy equivalent light bulbs where suitable. Outside lighting is movement controlled and lights in public areas are controlled by time switches. We switch off televisions at the mains to reduce 'standby' consumption.
Water:
Toilet flushing volumes have been reduced and guests are encouraged to save water where possible. 2 guest rooms do not have baths and the showers are normal flow rate (ie. not power showers). We have 1 room with a very small water saving bath with a normal shower over the top. We are on a water meter and usage is monitored regularly.
Heating:
All radiators have thermostatic controls and bedroom curtains are fully lined to prevent heat loss. It is not possible to install double glazing in our farmhouse.
Electricity:
We check meter readings monthly to ensure that we are not using more power than normal. Our staff accommodation and electric hookups in the camping field are metered to allow regular checks.
Re-cycling & purchasing:
Glass, paper, tins, cardboard, plastic bottles and tetra packs are all recycled. We are lucky to have a fortnightly council collection of paper, tin and glass and there is a local depot for plastics and tetra packs. Office paper and envelopes are reused where possible and printer cartridges recycled. We use re-cycled paper and products from sustainable woodland where possible and always print on “fast draft” to minimize ink usage. We use environmentally friendly products around the house and purchase from a Green Business approved supplier.
Guest Participation:
Guests are encouraged to turn off lighting, heating, televisions and taps when not in use and are encouraged to consider a less frequent change of towels and bedding to save on water consumption. We do not use individual soap/shampoo sachets to minimize on packaging and product waste. We encourage the use of public transport by offering pick up/drop off from Moreton bus/train.
Marketing/correspondence:
All booking confirmations sent by e-mail where possible and website is comprehensive and regularly updated to minimize usage of letters/leaflets.
“Green “ File:
All bedrooms and the guest lounge have a “green” file containing environmental information and details of wildlife and plants to look out for in the area.
Staff Training:
All new staff are given the Old Farm Green Policy as part of their induction. Staff are asked to turn off lights and appliances as necessary, to turn heating off in areas/bedrooms not being used by guests, to recycle as much as possible and to report any leaky taps etc.
Farm:
The farm is a member of LEAF (Linking Environment and Farming) and we have land in the Countryside Stewardship scheme and the new Entry Level Scheme. (Field margins for wildlife, minimal tillage, reduced hedge cutting policy, minimal nitrogen application, over-wintered stubble etc.) We also collect rain water on farm to use for livestock.
Smoking:
Old Farm is a non-smoking establishment.
Green Action Plan:
We are continually thinking of new ways to “Go Green” and have an action plan for 2009 including…
*carbon neutral holidays*green energy supplier*rainwater collection*tree planting*wild flower area*eco-tents for camping field*new building planned:heat transfer from fridge/freezer, green insulation, wood burner, rainwater for toilets etc*
We are committed to following these guidelines to help ensure the continued enjoyment of the environment around us for future generations…
Community
For breakfast, what we don't produce ourselves we source from other local suppliers and are pleased to tell guests where their food comes from.
We are really fortunate to have a great selection of places to eat in the surrounding area, many within walking distance and can help point you in the right direction depending on individual requirements and budgets. If you book to eat at the Horse and Groom at Bourton on the Hill you may even be lucky enough to be served up with some Old Farm lamb!
There are loads of activities to do and places to visit within a 30 mile radius of the farm including Cheltenham, Stratford, Bourton on the Water, Stow on the Wold, Oxford and Warwick. If you have children the Cotswold Farm Park and Cotswold Wildlife Park are a must and you can eaily spend a day in Bourton on the Water, the Motor Museum is one of our favourites.
On our doorstep we have the Batsford Arboretum which is worth a visit whatever the season and next door is the Cotswold Falconry Centre where you can go for a look round in the daytime, book and introductory course or attend an owl evening...
We offer educational access at the farm and host visits from local schools and groups and a Moreton School uses part of our land as a forest school area, it is a great way to teach children and we sometimes go and meet them to talk about the farm. Our latest project involved planting up 30 trees which will eventually be planted around the farm, possibly for a foest school are in the future.
Landscape
Guests are welcome to walk around our farm trail with the aid of a map - a real chance to see how your breakfast is produced! It will take you past the hens, horses, cows, sheep, pigs and bee hives and around some of our arable fields. We also have several areas on the farm that are left as wildlife havens (eg. pond areas and log piles) where there is a fantastic variety of bugs and beasties!
The farm is on the Diamomd Way and there is an extensive network of footpaths to suit all abilities. We have a file filled with ideas for walks and you are welcome to borrow these to help you get out and about. We will check the weather for you at breakfast to help you be prepared too!
We have a wildlife folder and ask guests to get involved by helping to log any wildlife they see while they are here. There are rabbits, deer, badgers, buzzards, foxes, woodpeckers, yellowhammers and loads more...
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