In an online Blog article, Steve Gunn, a volunteer at the Gaia Trust's Home Farm Marsh property in Devon tells the Bumblebee Conservation Trust about his fascination for bumblebees and his search for the elusive Brown Banded and Moss Carder bees.

The Gaia Trust are looking to for a part time volunteer coordinator for our Home Farm Marsh property in northern Devon. 

Over the last few weeks new mains water and 3-phase electricity have been installed at Bodwannick Manor Farm. These upgrades are a necessary foundation to renovating and repurposing the site into a health and wellbeing hub.

Currently our visitors/volunteers mainly come from the Bodmin Hospital Fettle and Bowman mental health wards. Working in and experiencing the garden helps them in their recovery journey but currently, they have no dedicated covered space where they can make a brew, socialise and shelter from Cornwall's rather inclement weather. These new water and electricity services will help us create that space in the Bothy, an old stone-built barn within the garden.

.The Gaia Trust planted 420 native broadleaved trees over three days at Treraven Farm. The small trees are no bigger than 60 centimetres tall and are protected by tree tubes, but in a decade or so we hope they will be perhaps 150 centimetres tall and beginning to look like 'real trees'.

As they grow, the trees will provide habitat and food for a range of birds and insects, and will lock up carbon to help address the climate crisis. Our small woodland is part of a bigger 'Forest For Cornwall' that aims to plant 8000hectares of new woodland in Cornwall by 2030.

This project was supported by Tevi and the Woodland Trust

The Gaia Trust has recently received approval for a new, five year, Higher Level Countryside Stewardship Agreement for Chark Moor.

Chark Moor covers approximately 12ha of low-lying ground between two spurs. Most of it is wet woodland but there is also about 2.5ha of wet, unimproved grassland. It is part of the Mid Cornwall Moors Site of Special Scientific Interest and is being managed to encourage the re-colonisation of the rare Marsh Fritillary butterfly (Euphydryas aurinia).

The vision underlying the Agreement is to extend the existing area of open grassland at the expense of invading scrub/woodland, manage the open grassland to increase floral diversity and to increase public access/engagement. Management measures therefore focus on improving the existing species rich grassland by winter grazing (using rare breeds like the Belted Galloway Cattle on site shown above), scrub control/eradication & educational access.
 
The agreement includes significant capital investment (fencing/gates) to eventually allow the removal of some of the woodland from areas at the west of the site that were previously grassland in the 1990s, and the recommencement of grazing. However, those activities aren’t included in this Agreement.
 
The other big news is that the Agreement includes a sum to build a raised boardwalk and viewing platform at the site with associated interpretation. This will allow for educational access to the site and the Gaia Trust is very keen to hear from schools, colleges or any other group that is interested in visiting the site. ​

Work to demolish the old barns at Bodwannick Manor Farm is progressing well. They are over forty years old and are no longer adequate for stock housing and their demolition clears the way for a new stock barn to be erected.

The removal of these old barns is also part of the site plan to create a health and wellbeing hub on the site. Without them we will be able to put the old stone barn that is now being revealed on the market and put the funds raised towards to the restoration and re-purposing of other buildings on the site.

Utmost care is being taken during the demolition to separate recyclable materials; primarily wood and metal, from non recyclable and haxardous waste like the asbestos roof panels. They will be sent to specialised landfill.

 Over the last  six weeks, Richard at Treraven Farm has been clearing a large patch of brambles ready for new native trees to be planted this Autumn. It has been hard work as the brambles were extremely thik but luckily we were able to use new equipment brought for the purpose thanks to a grant from the Cornwall TEVI project. We have also been able to use Tafi, the small tractor owned by the Camel Community Supported Agriculture group who have set up beside the car park. You can see a short video of Richard's hardwork here https://youtu.be/mpFG_gwcVmE

The new trees that will be planted this Autumn have been supplied by the Woodland Trust and will create new woodland habitat an, over time, will absorb the carbon footprint of 20 people at current average per person rate of carbon emmissions in Cornwall.

The Gaia Trust's application for a new Countryside Stewardship Agreement at Treraven has been approved and begins on January 1st 2020.

Matt Edworthy, the Gaia Trust's Director says "we are delighted with this news and can begin to implement our plans which will allow us to improve our soils, create more valuable wildlife habitat and continue delivering access and education for the public, whilst still productively farming".

Key elements of he Agreement are grass and herb rich leys that improve soil condition and pasture habitat for wildlife, field corners taken out of management, low input grasslands and leaving rye grass to seed as over wintering food for birds. We will continue our hedge management, but also lay some stretches and repair some of the traditional stone faced hedge banks.