But of course this is a fun day out for everybody – you don’t have to be a farmer to come along and enjoy what’s happening on Open Farm Sunday. If you’d like to know more about being sustainable or you’d like to see horses helping to fell trees or if you just want to take the family out for beautiful walk near the ruins of a 12th Century Priory, there will be plenty to inspire you! Open from 10:30am – 4:30pm (last entry 3:00pm) this action packed and informative day out offers families a fantastic opportunity to go behind the scenes at Llanthony Court Farm and meet the farm’s owners and National Park staff in the spectacular landscape that surrounds the sacred ruins of Llanthony Priory.
Organised as part of Open Farm Sunday and Wales Biodiversity Week, Llanthony Court Farm will be showing their commitment to the countryside and demonstrating how the farm combines traditional hill farming with landscape management, biodiversity and engaging with the visiting public. With tractor rides from the farm to the woodland areas, families will get to experience a whole range of farm activities. Jim Beavan from Lambing Live fame, will also be on hand giving some fantastic advice and demonstrations with the sheep, including top tips on shearing.
One of the most popular attractions last year was the heavy horse and timber extraction demonstrations in the woodland near to the farm. Visitors can admire a beautiful Ardennes horse doing the kind of work its ancestors were bred for – getting timber from a conservation woodland. Dense woodland and steep slopes makes it virtually impossible to use a tractor but a heavy horse can still reach the places that modern technology cannot.
Whether you want to find out more about the future opportunities for farming, balancing food production, carbon storage, alternative energy production and water conservation or you would like to meet the farmer, Colin Passmore and National Park staff to talk about their work with other farmers in the area – this is the perfect day out for the whole family.
Owner of Llanthony Court Farm Colin Passmore said: “This is the second year running that we have hosted an Open Farm Sunday at our family farm and we are really looking forward to meeting as many people as possible who are interested in farming so that we can answer their questions and hopefully give them some advice. We hope it’ll be a fun-packed and informative day for everyone.”
Mrs Margaret Underwood, Member and Biodiversity Champion for Bannau Brycheiniog National Park Authority said: “We are all part of biodiversity; we need to look after it to survive. Wales Biodiversity Week is an important event in the National Park calendar and we are proud to be working closely with Llanthony Court Farm for their second Open Farm Sunday. Visitors will have a wonderful opportunity to find out more about the vital role biodiversity plays in our everyday lives, our farming communities and to find out how they too can encourage biodiversity in their own homes and gardens and reduce their carbon footprint.
“Not only will you be able to ask the owners of Llanthony Court Farm about the work that they are doing but our National Park staff will be on hand to let people know how we are tackling the big biodiversity issues that we face in land management, conservation and planning.”
Finish the day with a delicious barbeque of home-reared lamb burgers, beef burgers and sausages which will be sold throughout the day. Food will also be available at the nearby Priory Hotel, Half Moon Hotel and Treats Catering. Admission is free. For more information please telephone 01873 890359 or visit www.farmsunday.org
Llanthony Court Farm, Llanthony, Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, NP7 7NN
-ENDS-
Pictures: Copyright of Bannau Brycheiniog National Park Authority
NOTES TO EDITORS
Open Farm Sunday is an annual event that gives everyone the opportunity to meet the farmers who grow their food and care for the countryside. Organised by LEAF (Linking Environment and Farming) it benefits from generous cross-industry support. For more information please visit www.farmsunday.org