As a farmer’s daughter Caroline is well acquainted with the Good elements of farming, but also the Bad and the Ugly. It is not an easy life, never has been. And sometimes, in pursuit of £s, less than ideal practices have gone on. Damage to the soil and wildlife, bad treatment of animals … BUT as we now have the benefit of hindsight, it is obvious that government policies and EU subsidy systems did us no favours in this regard.
Through engaging with such caring individuals as Bridget Whell, until recently chair of the NFU for Cornwall, and big environmentally responsible enterprises like Riviera Produce ‘down West’, Caroline senses that there is a quiet but amazing revolution underway. If only, she says, the new government schemes like ELMS could shape up and provide support for so many ambitious new ways of farming. And encourage more clearance of undergrowth and waste wood, with new planting and better management of woodland too.
After an exploratory walk of introduction, for representatives of the Cornwall Wildlife Trust a few years ago, Caroline learned that some areas of woods and overgrown quarries near Penpell qualify for the designation ‘Temperate Rainforest’. From that moment she began to study the key elements, particularly lichens and mosses, some of which are likely to be quite rare. The technical term for these is ‘Bryophytes’ and we have quite a lot in Cornwall. There is even an entire Bryophite Site of Special Scientific Interest, in Penwith, plus other known examples at Golitha Falls, Tolgus Tin Works, Poldice Valley and Porkellis Moor. But so far no one official has made much attempt to record what is here.
Over the autumn and winter, from 2024 to 25, Caroline undertook a detailed study of woodland management. This involved watching Sandi Toksvig’s excellent TV series and visiting a variety of places that might illustrate best practice, some near home e.g. again at Golitha Falls and the Tamar Valley. But another big one was hundreds of miles away – the Stanmer Park woodland near Brighton. From all of this content she made a full set of films, and recommendations. So far they are sitting in One Drive unacknowledged … but do please ask if you would like to view them.
Caroline Cares – this is what she says about Forests – I taught groups in the Full STEAMS Ahead programme about the shocking statistics of more CO2 being released from rotting trunks than from all the fossil fuels we burn in a year. I encouraged those adults with experience and a certificate of using chain saws to help me clear invasive species from places that needed opening up, and one of those provides our new Secret Forest, Secret Stream learning place. Since this photo, we have
- finished the fire pit,
- put in 2 wildflower areas on different banks,
- made a little hidey hole under an awning, for story telling
Future ideas include starting to offer short courses with Aiden of Kernow Horse Logging, to remove fallen trunks and bring them back for drying and making into platters or tables. The end result will combine wood with lichens, moss and ivy, set in clear resin.
During May Half Term 2025 Caroline discovered Lauren, a wonderful young artist, who added to the talents of Simon and Jenny, helped make a start with planning designs and trying out different tools and techniques for wood-based creations.
The full set of Conversations and Stories for Farms and Forests is due to be published in Autumn 2026.
