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.
