10 WWW.THEFIELD.CO.UK
OPENING SHOTS
NEWS
ield Notes
TOCONTACTTHEOPENINGSHOTS
NEWSDESKSENDANEMAILTO
Student farmers launch food box
Conservation without rewilding
In brief
FIRSTPUPPIES
TheEssexwithFarmersandUnion
Hunt– a mergerofTheEssexwiththe
EssexFarmersandUnion– hasbred12½
coupleofhoundsfollowinga successful
firstseason.Thehuntusedbitchesand
dogsfromTheEssextomaintainOld
Englishbloodlines.Houndsarelooked
afterbyJoshWarren,whohasreturned
to the hunt after two seasons in the USA.
MAGPIESTHREATENSONGBIRDS
Anewstudyshowsmagpiesarethe
mostcommonpredatorsofsongbirds.
ResearchersfromExeterUniversity
andtheGWCTput 460 artificialnests
onfarmlandinWarwickshiretostudy
predatorbehaviour.Magpiesaccounted
for70%ofvisits,withnestsinside
magpiebreedingterritoriespredated
moreoften.“Thisstudyhelpsfurtherour
understandingofthethreatthatsome
particularlypredatoryindividualspose,”
saidTomStreeter,chairmanofSongBird
Survival, which commissioned the study.
WOODENSADDLEHORSENEEDED
SportingtailorHarryHallis onthehunt
fora vintagewoodensaddlehorse
torecreatea serviceofferedbythe
firmnearlya centuryago.Theideaof
bringingbackthetraditionofusinga
saddlehorsefora customer’sfirstfittings
forridingclotheswassuggestedbyKen
Corsie,whosegrandfatherwasa master
tailorforthecompany’sRegentStreet
shopinthe1930s.Anyonewithanoldor
unwantedsaddlehorseshould contact:
[email protected]
LeightonHallinLancashire,which
cantraceitshistorybackto1246,is a
greatexampleofwhattraditionallyrun
estatesareachievingforconservation–
withoutresortingto‘rewilding’.Extensive
woodlandmanagementhasboosted
butterflies,includingtherarehighbrown
fritillary,pollinationhasbeenincreased
byestablishinga wildflowerpaddockand
introducingbeehives,andthefamily-run
shootmaximisesconservationpotential.
EstateownerLucyArthursrunstheshoot
withherhusband,Danny.“Overthenext
threeyearswehavedecidedtochange
allthecovercropstoanorganicwildbird
mixororganicnectarflowermix.These
typesofgamecoveraretheretosupport
thetraditionalneedsofthegamekeeperto
managehisbirds,butcancreatea fantastic
environmentforwildbirds,mammals,
butterfliesandpollinators throughout the
year,”sheexplains.
Thisyearthecropdevelopmentwillbe
monitoredandanalysedtoseehowwell
it hasestablishedandheldthepheasants.
Recordswillbekeptofotherwildlifethat
tookadvantageofthenewhabitat.
Thelocationofthecovercropswas
chosen carefully to help connect rides
Anideastartedbytwoyoung
farmerstofundtheirtime
atuniversityhasledtothem
launchingtheirownfood
business.JohnDaviesand
HannahKinstonbeganselling
cheeseatcountyshows,
foodfestivalsandthrough
farmshops.Now,they’veset
upa regional,specialityfood wholesaler,
TheBritishFoodBox.
BasedinLeicestershire,it startedtrading
inMayafter21-year-oldKinstoncompleted
herdegreeinveterinarymedicineat
NottinghamUniversity.Davies,22,will
joinherfulltimewhenhegraduatesfrom
Harper Adams University in 2020.
TheBritishFoodBoxwill
involvethemsellingcheeses
atfoodfestivalsandshows,
runninga pop-upfarm
shopanddeliveringa range
ofboxtypestocustomers.
Thissummertheywillbe
spendingmorethan 100 days
attendinglocaleventsacross
Leicestershire,Staffordshire, Derbyshire,
ShropshireandCheshire.
“We’vedecidedtobeginbyfocusingon
cheesebecauseeveryonelovesit – and
that’swhathasfedusthroughuniversity,”
saysDavies.“Itusedtobeburgervansyou
sawoutsidenightclubs– now it’s vans
selling cheese toasties.”
createdfortherarefritillariesaswellas
providefoodforthewintersheep.
“Ourunderlyingphilosophyis thatthe
commercialrequirementsofa farmingand
shootingestatecanworkinharmonywith
thenaturalenvironmentwithouthaving
togototheextremesofsome rewilding
estates,”addedArthurs.
Inthegarden,workis underwayona
newherbgardendesignedbychildrenfrom
a city-basedprimaryschoolinLancaster.
Elsewhereonthe1,600-acreestatea
woodlandwalkhasbeencreatedandthere
areplanstobuildaneducationalroom for
children, adults and the public.
