A farm that has made room for nature
For more than 40 years Dave and [NAME] have farmed organically at Ashworth, keeping a herd of Aberdeen cattle and a flock of cross-bred sheep on the high ground above Manchester. The farm still works as it always has, but more than 20 acres of its grassland have now been given over to rewilding and planted with more than 15,000 mixed native trees.
For now the hillsides are lines of tree guards in rough grass, divided by old stone walls. In a few years the guards will come off, the canopy will begin to close, and the ground will look and sound quite different.
In their words
Dave and I have farmed organically for over 40 years on our farm in Ashworth with a herd of Aberdeen cattle and a flock of cross-bred sheep, reared extensively on high ground above Manchester.
We are passionate about our landscape and the way we treat it. This part of our farming career has allowed us to create a brand new woodland on over 20 acres of grassland that we have dedicated to re-wilding with mixed native trees. This will create habitat for much more wildlife on our farm for the next 40 years.
We both hope that this is the next chapter for a really healthy, mixed enterprise that will continue long after our lifetime.
[NAME] and Dave, who farm at Ashworth
What is coming back
It is early days, but the change has already begun. In just a few months the long grass between the tree guards has filled with mice and voles, and a barn owl has been seen hunting over it. As the trees establish, we will keep recording what comes back to live here.
A woodland within reach of the city
From the top of the site the Manchester skyline sits on the horizon, with the moors rising behind. Few of our sites are so close to so many people, and that changes what a woodland can mean to the businesses that fund it. Ald Wood is somewhere a team can visit, help to plant and come back to year after year, rather than a name on a certificate.
Footasylum, who began in Rochdale, have already planted a woodland of their own here.
Being part of Ald Wood
Businesses can support Ald Wood through carbon offsetting, by bringing their team for a tree planting day, or by sponsoring a barn owl box on the site. If you would like to talk about how your business could be involved, please contact our team.