By Matt Holland [Farm resident]
Legend has it that the very first mention of working weekends on organic farms was made by WWOOF founder Sue Coppard over a cup of tea in the mid-1970s at Lower Shaw Farm.
And ever since, to honour that beginning, the farm – actually more like a 3.5-acre smallholding in a suburban setting on the outskirts of Swindon – has held monthly WWOOF Weekends and welcomed short and long-term WWOOFers from all over the UK and the world.
In fact, we reckon that without WWOOF, we might struggle with the maintaining of the garden, the outbuildings, and communal camaraderie. With regular visits to Lower Shaw Farm from willing workers, strangers have become friends and many hands really have made work go better.
By way of backstory, Lower Shaw Farm is a former traditional north Wiltshire dairy farm. It was bought, by compulsory purchase half a century ago, by the Borough Council for housing development when it was predicted that Swindon would be one of Europe’s fastest growing towns, with lots of people coming here, to work, play, and have babies. When the M4 motorway opened, sure enough, a London overspill brought people west, in droves. Some of them worked, a lot of them played but fewer than expected had babies.
This lower birth rate was, in a way, Lower Shaw Farm’s salvation. Its land and outbuildings were no longer needed for housing development and instead, the few acres and buildings that remained of the original farm were taken on by a visionary group, the Foundation for Alternatives, as a local initiative in urban development, to keep part of Swindon’s development green and environmentally friendly. They were mostly volunteers who wore dungarees, carried rucksacks, and used words like ecology, organic, and wholefood. These were people who, in short, wanted to make the world a better place by taking action, being busy, and doing positive things.
In 1980, present incumbents, Andrea and Matt, came to join them, and got stuck in with a handful of other idealists, tackling the tricky task of minding the farm, making a living, and creating a community. Growing vegetables and flowers, breeding and looking after a few two legged and four-legged animals, and keeping the drains unblocked were all easy compared to the challenges of learning to live and work together well. We got there, gradually, with plenty of communal ups and downs. Almost always, the difficulties were outshone by the delights of living and working together. In a way, you could say, the spirit of WWOOF shone through.
Now, Lower Shaw Farm is run as a co-operative with a phenomenal team of helpers from near and far. The main farmhouse has bedrooms for visitors, a kitchen, a dining room for small groups, and the Hayloft, our lovely yoga studio. The outbuildings have been converted to provide accommodation, meeting rooms, and workshops. Though residents are kept busy with all manner of tasks, in garden, kitchen, and office, Lower Shaw Farm’s main purpose is to provide space and facilities for interesting groups and adventurous individuals on holiday breaks and weekend courses.
But it also has a couple of exciting and rewarding offshoots. It’s home to the Lower Shaw Farm Children’s Project, a registered charity run by local people. Throughout the year, it provides a variety of day-long creative activities for young people, especially 3 to 13 year olds, the youngest of whom especially like the puddles and animals, while the oldest, when not making things, are drawn to the play-barn and Lower Shaw Farm’s ‘world famous’ rope swing!
Another Lower Shaw Farm project that has world renown is the Artswords Swindon Festival of Literature, which annually invites a fabulous variety of writers, speakers, and storytellers to Swindon and Lower Shaw Farm for terrific talks and wonderful workshops.
Even without these people-pleasing projects, Lower Shaw Farm blooms and thrives. A recent visitor described it as “an act of love”. With its large vegetable, herb, and flower gardens, its shrubs and trees, its puddles and ponds, hens and ducks, black and white sheep, friendly pigs, vintage red tractor, and unspoilt areas for play and exploration, the farm has developed an atmosphere and character of its own. Its outer ramshackle appearance masks an inner order and warmth. It’s sort of wild, welcoming, and very nice.
Life down on this farm, though still not entirely predictable, has settled into a seasonal rhythm of work, work, work, and play. We try to do all things well. We like to make discoveries, like to make friends, like to be welcoming, like to be serious but also have fun. We like wholesome food and enjoy good exploratory conversation, or music-making and storytelling round the fire in the yard, by the woodstove, or in the Circle Garden. We have a home-made turf-roofed sauna to write home about. We reckon that today’s stranger is tomorrow’s friend and that life is for learning at Lower Shaw Farm!
What do you think of it, so far?
If you want to know more, find out about our fascinating courses, check out our website at www.lowershawfarm.co.uk or write us an email at enquiries@lowershawfarm.co.uk
We welcome visitors, helpers, and anyone interested in life here and/or groups wishing to use the farm’s facilities, but please, be sure to ring or write to us well in advance. Telephone 01793 771080
We’d like to thank Matt for gifting us with this ‘act of love’ and wish everyone at Lower Shaw Farm the best of luck with all of their work and play. Here’s a link to the Lower Shaw Farm WWOOF profile for further info and WWOOFing opportunities.
All photos: Thanks to Lower Shaw Farm
Disclaimer: It should be noted that hosts receive guests solely as part of an immersive learning experience, in line with WWOOF UK’s educational charitable aims. Visitors participate in the host’s lifestyle, in order to learn. There is no formalised or contractual agreement and the residential visitors (WWOOFers) are free to come and go at will, so are not considered workers. WWOOFers are absolutely not a substitute for paid labour. Any mention of the words ‘work’ or ‘exchange’ in reviews, articles and other content created by our membership is language chosen by the author and not sanctioned by WWOOF.
