Herefordshire farm holiday apartment, England
How this holiday makes a difference
Environment
Living lightly:
Small family-sized mixed farms are about as kind to the land as a farm can be. Eating what you grow organically is as close as it comes to carbon-neutral dining. We farm and garden to organic principles and much of what we do is done by us, by hand, with spades, shovels, wheelbarrows and plenty of home-grown food for fuel. We even milk by hand and each year we put less diesel into our tractors than goes into one typical small saloon car.
Our 2 acre walled garden, orchards and fields provide much of the fresh food we need. For our mainly grass-fed livestock we grow fodder crops, oats and hay. We’re part of the countryside stewardship scheme, an 'agri-environment’ programme which aims to protect the environment and the countryside through the promotion of green farming practices.
Wildlife friendly: Wildlife abounds here and wildflowers and plants flourish (we only call them weeds when they’re in the crops).The RSPB recorded 20 bird species on their most recent winter visit, including amber and red-listed species (bullfinch, song thrush) for which the coppices and the scrubby areas around our lake are a haven. In summer the skies above our homes are alive with house martins whilst herons regularly visit our lake to feed. The local bat group keeps count of our lesser horseshoe and pipistrelle bats. Roof repairs must be arranged around their breeding and hibernating schedules.
During your stay you will be welcome to look around the grounds, garden and farm and depending on season and circumstance, you will be able to buy our eggs and potatoes, take a share of any garden surpluses and join us for our Saturday communal meal.
We have a chemical-free water supply from our own borehole. We also have our own sewage system which makes the use of ecological household products a necessity. We use these exclusively in the Playroom.
You can buy more plus many food and household staples, whole foods, organic foods, fair trade treats, sweets, chocolate and cruelty free toiletries in our community shop. We buy in bulk from the leading European organic and Fairtrade product wholesaler ‘Essential Trading’ so as well as being great for the environment our stock is very reasonably priced.
Green Energy : We purchase green electricity from Ecotricity- generated by wind, sun and sea. We also make our own! We have two south-facing solar photovoltaic arrays with a total output of 28 kWp. Installed in November 2011 we expect them to contribute much or most of the electricity we use in summertime and provide an income which will enable us to fund further carbon reduction projects. The playroom is all-electric. High on our agenda is action to enable all our homes to be heated by wood- locally and sustainably sourced. One log boiler is already up and running. The roll-out of this programme could bring wood fuelled ‘central heating’ to the Playroom within a year.
Together we work hard to provide our community with affordable access to environmentally friendly energy and food. During your stay you will be able to use, share and purchase a range of these.
Community
Our community :
Canon Frome Court is home to an intentional community, that’s a planned residential community designed to have a much higher degree of teamwork than other communities
The purposes of intentional communities vary. They may include sharing resources, creating family-oriented neighbourhoods and living and sharing life together. Many aim for more nurturing and sustainable lifestyles – both ecologically and socially - than the perceived Western trend.
Here at Canon Frome Court we can enjoy all these elements of community life. Our members have no common philosophy as such but share a broad sympathy with sustainability and green issues. Much of what we do together has sustainability built in and there will be opportunities to contribute and benefit during your stay if you choose.
The local community :
We also actively support and engage with the local and wider community particularly through the Frome Society Reg. Charity No. 510337. This registered charity, run by the community, makes our public rooms readily available at very reasonable cost to local groups and to a wide variety of organisations involved in the arts, education, health and recreation. We frequently hold or host week night and weekend events including Pilates, Kids’ Crafts, workshops for singing and basket making and a permaculture course.
Special events raise much appreciated funds towards maintaining our ageing infrastructure. Of note is our New Years Eve party when our in-house ceilidh band ‘The Loose Canons’ provides an evening of affordable family entertainment for as many as 150 of our local neighbours, friends and colleagues.
Artisans,crafts and culture.
We open during h.Energy week –Sustainable Herefordshire Week- and during h.Art when our community rooms provide exhibition space for a range of local artists to exhibit alongside artists and craftspersons from within the community. Three other regular h.Art venues can be found less than 15 mins. walk from our door. Our neighbours include Jenny Pearce whose regularly runs basket workshops here and the many crafts persons and artisans of Clisset Wood and Childer Wood, both a short walk away. For attendees on these and similar local courses we offer guestroom and bed and breakfast accommodation at very affordable rates. Information on these and similar events and venues is available in the Playroom and on display in the hall of the main house. There’s a folder of local tourist information and travel information in the Playroom too.
Why not time your stay around one of the many local festivals or events? As well as hArt and h.Energy there's the Ledbury Poetry Festival, Borderlines Film Festival, the Hay Festival, Hereford Food Festival,the Big Apple and many more. Book onto a nearby course in art or craft -'Creative Breaks' is a good starting point- or simply check out the events and activities available right here when you arrive.
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