New 'Cylch Bwyd' project launches at Pentwyn Farm to deliver hands-on education on wildlife-friendly food growing

Radnorshire Wildlife Trust is launching an ambitious new project this autumn that will bring people together to grow food, care for wildlife and build resilience in the face of a changing climate.

Called Cylch Bwyd – Welsh for "Food Circle" – the project will be based at Wilder Pentwyn Farm and led by Michelle and Janet, who will be working together to deliver hands-on education on food growing and wildlife-friendly land management.

The project aims to engage people from a wide range of backgrounds, including schools, youth and community groups, volunteers, farmers, smallholders and horticulturalists, while supporting the development of better local food networks and helping nature thrive across the county.

A full circle of food, from soil to plate

Starting this autumn, Cylch Bwyd will offer a series of volunteer days, workshops and educational sessions that embrace the whole food cycle, from preparing soil and planting, through nurturing and harvesting, to preserving, fermenting, cooking and, of course, eating what has been grown.

We want to reach out to people across Radnorshire who care about nature, who care about food, who want to see stronger food systems in place and who want to work together to get affordable local food to local people, whilst taking positive action together in the face of a changing climate.

Responding to a changing climate

This summer's drought has been an eye-opener for us all — we urgently need to address how we produce food, where we produce food and to ensure as many people as possible have the skills and the space to grow the food we all need to eat.

At Pentwyn, the team will explore how to create a productive growing space in an open field with little or no access to water. Plans include establishing water catchment systems, using mulches to lock in moisture, creating shade and shelter, and interplanting vegetables with perennial fruit bushes and trees.

The project will also work closely with local farming communities to explore more sustainable ways of producing food at scale, how to mitigate the challenges of climate change, and how to get more locally farmed food into shops and direct sales ventures.

Nature at the heart of the project

Underpinning all of this is a commitment to working with nature rather than against it. The Cylch Bwyd Project will support a range of habitat works across Wilder Pentwyn Farm, forming part of the site's wider programme of natural regeneration.

The farm will continue to be grazed extensively by native-breed cattle, supporting the grazier's local meat-box business, while the on-site horticultural enterprise, Wilder Pentwyn Produce, will feed into on-farm food events. There are also plans for hay meadow restoration, drawing on traditional upland farming methods and allowing species to re-emerge from the farm's native seedbank.

Improving access to the site is another priority, with work under way on parking and signage, and plans in development for a series of walking routes across the farm.

For those unable to visit Pentwyn in person, Michelle and Janet hope to partner with existing community gardens so that people in urban communities can also take part in the food growing, harvesting, cooking and eating education at the heart of the project.

Open day: come and be part of it

To mark the start of the project, an open day will be held at Pentwyn Farm on Saturday 3rd October. Learn about the project, share your ideas and take part in:

Dowsing
Scything demo
Practical work
Tour of the site

With free teak and cake on offer!

For more information on Cylch Bwyd, keep an eye on Radnorshire Wildlife Trust's e-news, website and social media channels, or get in touch to find out how you can get involved - Janet@rwtwales.org

The project is funded thanks to the National Lottery Community Fund