Furture Farming Awards

Well here we are at Ragley Hall a couple of weeks ago receiving our award as Highly Commended in the national Future Farming awards.

The citation was very kind:-

Putting the farm back at the heart of the
community...
John and Linda Illes moved to the Uncllys in 2004. The small holding comprises a series of small clearings planted around the 1880s with varieties of fruit trees. A further 30 hectares of traditional orchard, wood pasture and meadows scattered in the surrounding area are now
managed by the Illes. The farm has just been entered into a Higher Level Scheme agreement following the successful completion of a Countryside Scheme agreement. The nationally rare nobel chafer beetle inhabits a cherry orchard within the farm. The orchard and some wood
pasture on the farm lie within the Wyre National Nature Reserve. The Iles organise work camps and working parties with the local community and groups from neighbouring towns who want to get involved with the farm. These have included groups as diverse as lawyers from
Birmingham who planted a new orchard to local artists who teamed up with Bewdley Museum for a charcoal drawing workshop on the farm.
The Iles also host traditional orchard restoration training courses for land managers and participate in Open Farm Sunday. The formation of the Wyre Landscape Trust by John Illes as a Community Interest Company is a major step towards putting the Iles expanding farm
operation at the heart of the community.

Uncllys Farm – Meat Price List

Gloucester Old Spot Pork Prices
Leg £7.50
Shoulder £6.50
Tenderloin £12.00
Chops £7.50
Belly £5.50
Sausages £7.50
Rib £6.50
Leg steaks £10.00
Kidney £3.00

Wiltshire Grass Fed Lamb Prices
Leg on bone £10.00
Chops £12.00
Breast £2.00
Shoulder £6.50
Neck £4.50
Mince £8.00
Diced £8.00
Kidney £5.00

Restoring the Burlton's Field Barn

You can see here the wall that is in danger of collapsing. We have put forward plans to Natural England for the barn's restoration this autumn. We can then use it to store hay and for a field shelter. We now wait to hear whether we get the grant.

Future of Farming Awards

Today we hosted a visit by the judges for Natural England's award scheme - they seemed very interested in what we have been doing around the farm and the impact we have had on others.

We now wait to see whether we have been successful!

Harvesting our hay

Last Thursday was a great day as we baled up 400 small bales from our orchard and hay field. We are really grateful for all the help from Sophie, Simon, Toby, Paul, Tim, James and Linda. We also had a surprise visit from Erik who had come all the way from Wolverhampton with his grandson and was immediately pressed into service to go to the nearest agricultural merchants to get a replacement chain for the baler!

The day ended for us all around 9pm - exhausted but happy that all the hay was in - we enjoyed a really good drop of Town Crier!

Jewel wasp ???

New heifer born today

Our new calf was born this morning and is a beautiful coffee colour - our first Dexter dun.

We are still expecting 3 more!

New Dexters at Uncllys

We are now into the calving season here - we expect 6 and so far 2 have been born - Crispin on 12th June and Charlotte on 13th. We now wait for the other 4.

Art in the Wyre Forest

Ros Zalin's charcoal and wash of the Jacob sheep

Art in the Wyre Forest

Art in the Wyre Forest explored at Uncllys Farm

Today a small group of artists met at Uncllys Farm to learn from local artist Claire Spence how to use charcoal and water colours.

Inspired by the bright sunshine and the meadow flowers they drew pictures of the orchards and other features of the farm.

Although bright the day was very blustery making drawing all the more challenging!

Our Gloucester Old Spot pigs

Beryl and Blossom trying to get to the grass

Unravelling the past of the Wyre Forest

Unravelling the Past!

LASER TECHNOLOGY IN THE UNDERSTANDING OF HISTORY
Are you interested in the history of the Wyre Forest Landscape?

The Wyre Forest Landscape Partnership take great pleasure in inviting you to a special event; Wyre Forest Landscape - Unravelling the Past!

To be held in the Think Tank Theatre, on Tuesday 3rd June 2008 from 16:00 to 18:30 at Think Tank, Millennium Point, Birmingham.

We are at the start of an exciting process, scratching away the canopy of the forest to reveal hidden heritage features beneath. A few small areas have been revealed already, revealing medieval ridge and furrow, medieval farmsteads and relic field-work boundaries!

Come to hear from the experts for yourself and see a virtual flight over the Wyre!

The Seminar will feature break-through aerial survey techniques, and their use in unravelling the woodland history and archaeological features! Scientists and experts will be talking about the project, what has been done and features that have started to emerge.

Please call or e-mail by 2nd June to reserve your seat
Tel:- 01584 813 828
e-mail: alison.coggon@forestry.gsi.gov.uk

Open Farm Sunday - time for tea and cakes

Open Farm Sunday - visiting the traditional orchard

This 5 acre traditional cherry orchard now only has just over 30 of the 80 year old trees. We are replanting with a mixture of cherry and local varieties of apple- Worcester Pearmain and Scotch Bridget.

Many of the trees have been planted by volunteers.

Farm Open Sunday - looking at the wildflowers

Visitors looking at the spreading pig nut brought about by 3 years of grazing by our Dexter cattle.

We also spotted a chimney sweeper moth that lives on the pig nut!

looking at chicken of the woods in the orchard

Farm Open Sunday - June 1st morning

This morning we welcomed 20 local people to the farm. Many are local landowners or managers who are getting interested in restoring their traditional orchards and meadows.

Uncllys Farm Open Day -Sunday June 1st

Two sessions are planned for Farm open Sunday - June 1st

In the morning - neighbours and local people have been invited from 09:30 to 12:30 to take a tour of the farm and learn more about the work we've done here to restore the cherry orchards, the wildflower meadows and the woodland. The invitations are for people considering taking part in the Grow With Wyre landscape restoration programme.

In the afteroon - colleagues and their families from Anthony Collins Solicitors will be coming to enjoy their picnic in the orchard, tours of the farm to see the Dexter cattle, the Gloucester Old Spot pigs and the hens and learn more about how their food is grown. There will be a tea and cake stall run by the Tabernacle Baptist Church from Wolverhampton.