Open day
Edwina opening the permissive footpath
This was the first of what we hope will be regular open days at Nonsuch Farm. The primary purpose was to officially open our permissive footpath which we have created inside our hedge along Lowes Hill and Butchers Road allowing people out walking to be safe and to be more in touch with the nature around them.
We had a great turn out with more than 30 people coming along to enjoy the path and find out more about what we are up to at Nonsuch Farm. We started out at 10.30 with Vice Chair of Kelsale Parish council, Edwina Galloway cutting the tape to open the path. Everyone then set of with Julian and Sam Hanks our farm manager who explained what we had been up to over the past year.
Along the way there was an explanation of why the large field previously known as Pit Field had been divided up into the new 5 field layout and fences built. He also explained that 6 ponds had been dug by Natural England last October providing habitat for great crested newts as well as drink water for animals.
Nonsuch Farm is a mixed, organic farm, currently planted with cover crop, sown in Spring and Autumn 2022. Visitors saw the sheep which arrived a few weeks ago whose job it is to start munching some of those cover crops down. It was explained that they are on loan to the farm and will only be able to stay 120 days as they are not organic. Sadly the cows, we are in the process of purchasing could not be transported in time for the open day but hopefully soon will be arriving to do a similar job.
Much speculation, I know has taken place in recent weeks about the large building being erected on the upper field. We have jokingly told people when they asked that it was a Giraffe House. Sadly, we are not getting giraffes but it will provide very comfortable winter accommodation for our animals when conditions are too severe for them to be outside. Also in the top field, adjacent to the railway line visitors were able to see the fruit and nut trees planted back in February as part of our agroforestry plan. To date the majority have survived. Next to the tree rows visitors could see the huge pile of woodchips which came from the 101 poplar trees which were removed at the end of last year from along the railway line. The trees were old and were becoming a hazard so have been put to good use, providing much need mulch for our trees and some will be used to provide animal bedding.
The last part of the walk focused on the ‘ghost pond’. This is an original pond on this site which had been filled in in the 1950s, it was part of the pond excavation work by Natural England and has in the last few weeks suddenly sprung into life. Various pond plants from the original seed bed have regenerated bringing with them an abundance of inspects and in turn birds.
We were pleased to have members of the Kelsale Biodiversity group come along and Gerry from the group brought along a collection of fossils and skulls.
Various participants were invited to fill in a questionnaire at the end and we hope be able to keep in touch in the coming months providing regular updates and volunteering opportunities.
