The picture above is of a 1/2 acre man-made pool that has been the subject of a watercourse regeneration project here at Treflach for the past 14 years. From a pretty poor state it is now becoming a haven for rare wildlife like damselflies, dragonflies, newts and we've even seen signs of an otter! With your help we will install a wetland to purify the water that feeds this pool, slow the water down to reduce flooding downstream and create a wonderful habitat for a range of species.
Photo above: Ian and the newly planted reed bed in the old slipway
Good question. I'm glad you've asked...
While it will be an awful lot of work (and probably going to be much more expensive than my budget!) I truly believe this project is the right thing to do. Water is life. Soil is life. If we don't care for our water/soil habitats we, as a society, are in trouble, and we specifically at Treflach would not be able to remain here.
So the answer to the question is twofold:
1) Clean water, moving slowly through the landscape, providing habitat for a diverse spectrum of wildlife brings health to the natural world.
2) The health of the natural world brings health, wealth and happiness to the animals (micro-organisms, livestock & people) who make the farm what it is.
We've thought long and hard about what, why and how we are trying to achieve at Treflach and the outcome is the sheet below. This is framed for all to see in the staff break room (the Old Stable). I hope it clearly defines what we are all about and why we do what we do. However if you'd like to know more about our mission, values and methodologies take a look at our website and follow this link to our Manifesto... https://treflachfarm.co.uk/pages/manifesto
In August 2006 I returned to the family farm after working in London and abroad. I began my journey to revitalise a small scale, hillside farm in the family since 1904. The aim was to prove that small scale agriculture can indeed be environmentally aware, promote biodiversity and remain viable in the modern world.
So Who Are Treflach Farm?
- We're a local employer outside Oswestry, Shropshire where we look after the land and animals, run educational courses & make delicious veggie, Gluten Free and free-range meat pies
- We're a real working farm with happy, free-range, grass fed (no grain), Hereford cattle and outdoor pigs
- We have a butchery and bakery on site
- We are big part of the local community working with primary school children, young adults with behavioural difficulties, learning difficulties and disabilities, and adults with mental health issues
And much more, all part funded through the sale of our #tastypies!
Photo above: Pies!
In 2018-2019 we started our watercourse regeneration project and sucessfully completed our goals:
- Prevented animal access to the head of the watercourse upstream of the farm to reduce nutrients and poaching of the stream banks
Photo above: Lines of fencing to exclude cattle from the watercourse
- Made drainage alterations to the farm buildings to prevent nutrients leaching into the watercourse
Photo above: Just some of the drainage works to seperate clean and dirty water!
- Identified opportunities to enhance biodiversity and alleviate flood risk by:
1) Addressing the silting up of the entrance of the pool
2) Laying a reed bed in a disused slipway to reduce nutrient load
Photo above: The new reed bed!
We were sucessful in these objectives because we worked together, with local community involvement - and had a huge amount of fun!
We are aiming to raise money to build on our skill sets and create a totally new wetland. This wetland will comprise:
- A series of 5 swales (clay lined ditches dug along the contour of the hill) ~140 metres long and 2 shallow pools
Photo above: A swale is a ditch, running on contour allowing water to soak away slowly
- Swales and penultimate pool lined with a bentonite clay liner, backed with a geo-membrane that will be impermeable to water
- A sixth and final pool, created as an unlined ‘soak-away’ with a densely planted bank of alder and deeply rooting perennial species, to enable the purified water to soak into the ground
- 3,600 wetland marginal plants, 1,800 alder trees and the sowing of a wetland flowering plant and grasses seed mix
Treflach Farm will donate the land and the labour to build the site: we need money for the hire of a digger, the bentonite clay and geo-membrane, trees, plants, reeds and woodchip.
Photo above: Map of the area of land we propose to use for the new wetland
The new wetland will perform a number of functions both in the immediate area of Treflach Farm but also wider landscape. Treflach Farm borders Sweeney Fen (a Site of Special Scientific Interest) managed by Shropshire Wildlife Trust and the water that originates at Treflach Farm (and higher up) therefore has a significant impact on the health of this important habitat.
Photo above: Last September we found smooth newts (pictured) and great crested newts here at Treflach Farm. GC Newts are a protected species as across Europe numbers are declining due to loss of habitat. Help us to increase their numbers.
Clean water, with low nutrient levels, released slowly, will feed the Fen in a controlled and sustainable fashion. Conversely the Sweeney Fen Nature Reserve next door will complement the new wetland and the rare plants located there are likely to colonise the proposed wetland. The boost to biodiversity in both wetlands will benefit each other sympathetically.
https://www.shropshirewildlifetrust.org.uk/nature-reserves/sweeney-fen
The value to the natural capital of the local area through cleaner water flowing into the river Severn catchment, reduced likelihood of flooding downstream and the increase in biodiversity will far outweigh the £12,000 project budget, notwithstanding Treflach Farm will be contributing land and labour.
Further benefit will be derived at no extra cost to the project by Treflach Farm Community Interest Company (CIC) running publicly accessible tours, volunteer days, education days for primary school kids and training days for young adults with behavioural issues and adults with mental health issues.
These client groups, through engagement in this practical project will:
• Learn skills,
• Work together in teams,
• Benefit from exercise, and
• Experience mental health benefits from being outdoors, working in nature and being a part of an ecologically valuable, worthwhile, achievable, team based, time bound, nature project.
Therefore on top of the ecological benefit the project will bring, through these measurable outcomes, the process of building the wetland will bring benefit not only the individual but society as a whole.
We'd love it of you would share this project with your network.
Thanks for reading and we hope to hear from you soon!
Take a look at our website: https://treflachfarm.co.uk/
Buy from our webshop: https://treflachfarm.co.uk/pages/shop
Visit or stay on the farm: https://treflachfarm.co.uk/pages/stay
Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TreflachFarm
Find us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TreflachFarm
Find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ianattreflach/
