Bessie’s field
In 2022, Earth Trust acquired a new area of land which presented an exciting opportunity to enhance our ability to demonstrate how farming and land management at scale can contribute to health & wellbeing, nature recovery, and climate change mitigation.
Supported by a very generous donation from Audrey Wood, Earth Trust acquired a 26.7 ha field, linked to the Earth Trust Farm and the Wittenham Clumps.
The field has been named “Bessie’s Field”, celebrating the life of Anne “Bessie” Kelaart OBE, who previously owned this area of land and contributed enormously to both Earth Trust, as a former trustee and to building bridges between conservation and farming nationally.
Detailed plans for the future development of this land will be revealed in 2023.
Making more space for nature recovery
Demonstrating new approaches and influencing regional policy
Deepening public engagement with natural green spaces and heritage
Making more space for nature recovery
Situated in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, adjacent to Little Wittenham Woods (a Site of Special Scientific Interest and Special Area of Conservation) Bessie’s field occupies a unique and strategically significant opportunity to support a more joined up ecosystem through the way we farm and care for the land.
Demonstrating new approaches and influencing regional policy
This acquisition enables us to demonstrate and pilot new land management practices and funding models at a time of landmark legislation and policy change within the UK environment and agriculture sector.
As a result, Earth Trust will have even more to contribute and bring to the table in debate and regional decision making around the Agriculture Act, Environment Act and nature-based solutions.
This also provides us with greater scope to explore and pilot the new funding models in policy development including ELMS and green offsetting schemes for biodiversity (BNG and Habitat Banking) and carbon.
Deepening public engagement with natural green spaces and heritage
Earth Trust has a role to play in helping to engage people with the landscape, heritage and farming.
Nestled within a highly visible and accessible area of the Earth Trust Farm next to the iconic Wittenham Clumps (a Scheduled Ancient Monument), Bessie’s field provides us with exciting new scope for deepening public engagement in our landscape heritage, nature friendly farming and opportunities to explore climate solutions; potentially with more community involvement with the environment.
