Dear SWEF EOI’s,
I would like to introduce myself as the Chair of SWEF and thank the board and steering group of SWEF for their support and confidence in allowing me to carry out this important role.
I myself am a farmer, alongside my brother and parents at Woodend Farm, Redmire, farming approximately 400 acres on the Bolton Estate. You probably better know my brother Tom; he’s a director at Hawes Mart and an extremely passionate sheep farmer. I tend to deal with the diversification and environmental aspects of our business.
I joined the SWEF steering group with the ambition for it to allow farmers to be financially sustainable and deliver environmental benefits for fair reward. I’ve used my knowledge, a considerable amount of my time and contacts from my time at Lancaster University with help from the steering group to put together an excellent water restoration development project. We’re still awaiting the outcome of this grant application.
We have all felt the impact of rising costs, a reduction in BPS and change is needed. In many cases, the only thing sustaining our farming industry is the emotional commitment and hard work of all us farmers. We all love what we do, but that may not be enough and my vison for SWEF is:
- Farmer led – I strongly believe that, as farmers, we have the best knowledge of our land, and that a bottom-up plan, designed by SWEF farmers, local estates, and land managers, can be more effective for delivering environmental outcomes compared to a top-down approach with little environmental improvements.
- Scale – To harness scale and SWEF member co-operation to secure the best environmental results and fair financial rewards for delivering a wide range of environmental goods and services. Crucially, alongside sustainable farming and food production.
This scale will provide us with much easier access to a wider marketplace and give potential buyers the ability to work with many farmers on the ground in our dales through a single organisation: SWEF.
- Cooperation and sharing resource – By joining SWEF, farmers will have access to a large amount of information and expertise on the natural capital sector provided by our partners (GWCT & NCA). SWEF will allow our members to trade with confidence by helping our members gain access to natural capital markets. I strongly feel that working and standing together as SWEF is crucial, cooperation rather than competition and I fear the alternative is working in isolation with the risk of exploitation of our natural capital in what is a complicated marketplace or being ignored.
Also, farmers get to meet each other, and we aim to have our next members meeting in January to share exciting information and opportunities.
After two years of hard work by the steering group, many meetings, and a memorable trip to London for a Heritage Lottery meeting, we have secured a grant of approx. £99k from the Heritage Lottery Fund.
These funds enable SWEF to offer an exciting job opportunity for a Project Manager, while also supporting our plan to launch and respond to opportunities. In partnership with the GWCT, we are in the process of completing a Conservation Plan, which addresses our environmental, social, and economic aims. One of these aims is to have better local representation so please share this job opportunity widely with anyone who may be interested, full job description and details attached.
We look forward to welcoming a new team member to SWEF and working towards providing our members with financial stability, leading to a sustainable and resilient farming sector. Ultimately, helping to preserve and enhance our iconic landscape.
Finally, as I alluded to earlier SWEF offers a unique opportunity to work together and unlock the potential in your land. If you would like more information regarding the SWEF Project Manager or any other information, please contact Rachel Ridd on 07458 147154 swef@gwct.org.uk.
Best Wishes,
Mark