How it all started

As the owner of a small grassland farm in the Cotswolds i wanted to discover more about land use and how we might better manage our own farm by working with nature.

After much research i stumbled across an animated group on a visit to Knepp (where i was attending a landowner's day with Charlie Burrell) who told me about the work they were doing on the Marlborough downs. They were a 'Farmer Cluster'. The concept appealed. Thus i determined to join my own local Cluster in the hope of educating myself. However no such group existed. I was told i would need to start one up myself.

Not having the skills to be a facilitator i set about searching for one. A few false starts, several meetings and discussions with neighbouring farmers and here we are, with Tim at the helm. Brimming with enthusiasm, learning about change, collaboration and the future of farming. It's a massive subject, so if you're curious come and join us.

By Sam Sandberg from Lyneham Heath