Radnorshire Wildlife Trust (RWT) has reached the mid-point of its Wilder Pentwyn project, funded for two years to forge ahead with its vision for the 164-acre Pentwyn Farm, near Llanbister, to transform the land and work with communities and landowners to deliver nature recovery at scale, whilst still making space for local food production.
This is made possible through The National Lottery Heritage Fund. As the Trust reaches the mid-point of the project, it also announces that Pentwyn Farm has been added to ‘The Rewilding Network’. Supported by Rewilding Britain, the Network helps practitioners who are rewilding to connect, share experiences, ideas and expertise; in order to respond at the scale and speed urgently needed to tackle the nature and climate crises.
James Hitchcock, Chief Executive Officer of Radnorshire Wildlife Trust: “Extensive management, rewilding, and attitudes to this form of multiple benefit land management have come a long way in the last ten years. We’re part of a rewilding network, with more groups, farms and communities joining all the time.”
As the Trust celebrates this milestone, it looks back over the achievements during the past year of the Wilder Pentwyn Project. Since the project started in September 2023, the team has been busy delivering habitat work, community engagement events, digital engagement, infrastructure improvements, wildlife monitoring, as well as developing relationships with the local community and with other organisations.
The project has established a dedicated volunteer group which have been doing everything from putting out dormouse footprint tunnels and completing bee surveys, to planting trees and hand spreading green hay. A local farm cluster group has also been developed to share learning, and organise talks on subjects such as agroforestry, and digital cattle collar training demonstrations.
Huge amounts of habitat creation have already been carried out through low level naturalistic grazing, forestry work, hedge and tree planting, leaky dam creation, as well as green hay and wildflower seed spreading. A range of community groups and individuals have been engaged with the project; from local residents and landowners, businesses, decision makers, school groups, college groups, WI groups, corporate groups, environmental organisations, young carers, a musical composer, and a stargazing society.
The next year of the project is set to be just as busy, with plans for wetland creation, rare plant species introductions, and the construction of an indoor community space all in the pipeline.
The Trust has produced a short, animated film which brings to life the current work being carried out through the project, and the step changes to achieving the 30-year vision for Wilder Pentwyn Farm. RWT are delighted to launch this animation showcasing the vision, partnerships and progress. An event has been organised to celebrate the launch, tied in with a screening of the feature film Wilding, based on the bestseller book by Isabella Tree.
Wilding tells the story of a young couple that bets on nature for the future of their failing, four-hundred-year-old estate, Knepp. Ripping down the fences, they set the land back to the wild and entrust its recovery to a motley mix of animals both tame and wild. It is the beginning of a grand experiment that will become one of the most significant rewilding experiments in Europe.
After the film, the event will finish with a Q&A session with exciting guest speakers, including Gil Martin from Belmont Estate in Bristol. Belmont aims to inspire community connection, restore biodiversity, and tackle climate change through ambitious nature-recovery and connection projects, rewilding, regenerative agriculture, and outdoor shared experiences.
Another guest speaker attending is Matt Swarbrick from Henbant Farm in North Wales, who describes himself as a holistic farmer, on a mission to prove that with a small farm you can produce good food, financial profit, build soil and biodiversity, build a community and enjoy it all at the same time.
The event is taking place on the 11th of October at Llangunllo Community Hall, just a 6-minute drive from Pentwyn Farm. The Trust hopes to see a mix of local community members, landowner’s, wildlife enthusiasts or experts, and wildlife novices. All are welcome to attend the screening and take part in the discussion afterwards! If you would like to attend the event, book here: https://www.rwtwales.org/events/2024-10-11-wilding-film-screening
