Glasbren has a new home! - Fferm Parc yr Arglwydd | Lords Park Farm, Llansteffan
We have some big news to share with you all. We can finally announce that Glasbren has a new home - Parc yr Arglwydd | Lords Park Farm!
Some of you already know, of course, that we have been given this incredible opportunity to become the stewards and tenants of this special National Trust farm on the cliffs above the Three Rivers Estuary, just a few miles South of our current site in Carmarthenshire. But to some of you , this news might come as a shock.
Over two years ago, one of our longest veg box members and supporters and a long-term resident of Llansteffan, Liz Dutch, invited me to a community meeting with the National Trust in Llansteffan. That September night, I remember the telltale signs in my belly of change afoot, a bubbling excitement, as I heard about the National Trust’s progressive vision for a farm near Llansteffan - a place I’ve loved since I was a child, and that has been very supportive to Glasbren.
“Lords Park Farm will be an example of nature friendly farming farm where a farming system is maintained and managed in a way that benefits the land and the wildlife that inhabit it but has the ability to be enjoyed by more people.”
National Trust vision
At that very first meeting, I resonated very strongly with the National Trust’s vision for Lord’s Park Farm, drawing distinct parallels with the vision of our project, Glasbren - working for nature, people and climate.
Glasbren is at a crossroads. Conscious of the urgency of climate change, biodiversity collapse and our place at the convergence of many of the issues of our times, we were looking to replicate and scale what we are doing on a new, larger site to meet a growing need.
Wales grows a meager 3% of the veg it consumes, and there is growing demand in the Carmarthenshire region in the private and public sector for local, agroecological, nutrient dense veg. People are increasingly looking to nature and the land to heal after the pandemic, and in the face of climate change, are seeking skills and a sense of empowerment to take local, positive action for the planet and deepen their relationship to nature. We believe that we have a vision for how farms like Lord’s Park can meet these needs for the local area, and the region, as a beacon for a new way to think of and use farms for the good of the community, the land and the planet.
CREDIT: Jason Elberts, A Great Alternative
Almost two years after that meeting, the window for tender proposals opened in May 2023. I had to dig deep, as I put together our proposal for Lords Park through the busiest time for planting on the land, writing during the day and working in the garden long into the evening, keeping the plants hydrated through a drought.
Sustained by belief that we were the right ambassadors for that vision, and the right choice to steward this land towards deeper regeneration, to preserve and celebrate its heritage and history and honour the spirit of a place we love and means so much to so many, I worked long and hard to bring together the threads of our ideas and what we’ve been building and working on for six years, into a 40 page proposal.
It was a vision for how we can continue and grow the work we’ve been doing in the area for the past six years with Glasbren, whilst unleashing the fuller potential of what farms like Lords Park could be for community-scale climate action, flourishing local, agroecological food networks and in shaping the farmers, land stewards & environmental advocates of the future in a peaceful, nature-rich landscape.
It was a plan to feed more people through our veg box scheme, open the land to more volunteers, community open days, courses, workshops and special events. Luisa proposed a ‘Little Stewards’ programme on the land for children and young people. We proposed using some of the buildings to offer residential courses and retreats and we laid out a holistic, whole farm design and plan for the farm - integrating productive veg growing, tree systems, water catchment, rewilding, holistically-managed livestock and heritage oats and wheat - working with nature and harnessing the possibility of community-scale farming to regenerate land, people and planet.
I remember well the day we were told that we’d be offered the tenancy. It was my birthday. Tears welled in my eyes and I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. There’ve been many signs that this was the right move for us, many moments of synchronicity and a calling too loud to ignore. I had a strong and unwavering belief throughout the process, though I knew our statistical chances were slim, that we could deliver on the National Trust’s vision of a farm for nature, people and planet.
It was the culmination of years of hard work and hustle, the work of many people who’ve contributed to building Glasbren to what it is, as an agroecological market garden, a community, an idea….. it was an invitation to a long-term future for Glasbren. It was affirmation and validation. It was the sigh of relief that, yes, Glasbren has a future and that future is beautiful.
We hope, like us, you can see the beautiful possibility too, of a place where people can explore the skills and perspectives that can inspire a relationship to nature and the instinct to protect it. We hope you can stand alongside us to imagine local people wandering amongst beautiful and abundant food landscapes and grassland meadows, rich in biodiversity, a flourishing local food scene with Lord’s Park at its heart and a renewed link between the local community and the heritage, ecology and unique spirit of this magical place - for the good of nature, people, climate and culture.
Some Wintering time now. Some time to settle in to this new place, this beautiful old farmhouse. Time for dreaming, designing, observing the land and getting to know it in the intimate way that must inform how we proceed.
But come Spring, as the new shoots lead us into a new year, we’ll begin. We’d love it if you could join us! There will many ways to get involved. Get in touch to join our ‘Glasbren Volunteers’ Whatsapp group, keep an eye on this newsletter every Sunday and, if you feel called, become an early farm supporter. I’ll share more of the vision, the plans and updates in coming weeks.
This was an emotional one to write. This is a moment of pause at the end of a long road, and the beginning of a new one.
For now, thank you. I can honestly say, that it is the strength and support of our community that gave me the confidence to go for this, the belief and the fuel to pursue it through an intense, dig-deep kind of year. I really hope you’ll come along the journey with us.
Special thanks due to Luisa for taking the lion’s share of parenting Ruah during an intense year, Steffan Lemke-Elms for all of his advice, support and help and to the National Trust Cymru team for your commitment to this vision. To Liz Dutch, for getting this journey underway, and of course, to all Bronhaul Farm, for hosting us as we grew from the grassroots.
CREDIT: Jason Elberts, A Great Alternative
I feel overcome with gratitude to have the privilege to steward this piece of land, to raise our son on this magical place, in a community I love, just a few miles from the place that raised me - that we were the ones to be given the great honour of living and working at Lords Park. And that we can share it with our community and make a lasting home for Glasbren and its work. As I stand on the fields looking out over the three rivers estuary, more tears come, the vision comes to life around me and I’m excited and scared in equal measure, as I should be, looking into the future. This feels wholly right.
It is with unwavering belief in our mission, the spirit of service and the support of our wonderful community we go.
Go big, or go home, they say.
This blog was adapted from a recent edition of the Veggie Love News, sent out every Sunday as an email newsletter to our subscribers. Find out more here and sign up below….
