The Regenerative Agriculture Accelerator Programme has been moving at pace throughout 2024, with lots of farm visits, talks, and demonstrations. 

Supported by the Farming in Protected Landscapes Programme, the Regenerative Agriculture Accelerator Programme launched in April and is going very well. The RAAP membership spans arable, livestock and dairy farmers, as well as agronomists, consultants and advisors, all at different stages of their journey with regenerative agriculture in and around the Cotswolds. The group dynamic has been great from the outset: lots of conversation, curiosity, and camaraderie.

Several events have already happened – a tour and lunch at The Sainfoin Centre at Whittington Lodge Farm to showcase and discuss their approach, farm visits to discuss soil health and crop rotation, presentations from leaders in the field, a visit to Groundswell Festival, and much more. One key insight has been around just how much regenerative agriculture is about applying rules and principles into specific contexts to inform land use and management decisions; it’s not necessarily about
avoiding or adopting specific standards or practices. Setting objectives, careful planning, monitoring outcomes, and being adaptive come first.

Momentum has been maintained as we headed into autumn and winter. Autumn saw more farm visits and sharing of good practice, and the start of the Rural Facilitator
course, delivered by Ruralink. In November we were joined by Jake Corin of Symbiosis Soil Lab, with his mobile laboratory, to discuss the potential of regenerative soil microbiology. Attendees were invited to bring their own soil/compost samples for analysis and discussion. We’re delighted that Gabe Brown will also be joining the group for an online evening of discussion in the new year. Author of regen classicDirt to Soil, and one of most influential regenerative farmers in the world, Gabe is also a founding partner at Understanding Ag with Allen Williams. And finally, we’re delighted to announce we will be running a Cotswolds Regenerative Agriculture Conference on 4 March 2025, at the Royal Agricultural University.

Generation green 2 has been offering inspiring outdoor experiences to young people in the Cotswolds and several other protected landscapes

CNL has been working alongside a number of other National Landscapes and National Parks to deliver Generation Green 2 – hosting young people from nearby areas to enjoy inspiring experiences in the great outdoors. This autumn, we have enabled 83 children to go on days out, 109 children to visit a farm, and 32 children to go on a residential in the Cotswolds – all hugely enjoyable and important experiences for the participating young people. Delivered by a coalition of 24 organisations and authorities, Generation Green 2 aims to help address major inequalities in access tonature by cultivating a wider interest in green spaces among the next generation, fostering lifelong wellbeing benefits among participants and opening protected places to a wider demographic. Huge thanks to the team members and venues involved here.

Spot the difference: Rebecca Waite, our new CEO, (seated, middle) has arrived in the CNL team. 

We are delighted to announce that this week, we welcome Rebecca Waite into the team as our new Chief Executive.

Rebecca joins us from a successful career at Defra, where she has over 20 years of experience working on the Rural Economy Growth Review, developing Local Nature Recovery Strategies as part of the 25 Year Environment Plan, and planning the implementation of the Environment Act. Rebecca has said her career highlight so far has been the four years she spent leading Defra’s protected landscapes team, and now she is delighted to be starting her dream job in the Cotswolds. She’s looking forward to meeting and working with all the amazing people and organisations in our network across the Cotswolds. Rebecca has hit the ground running this week, and is looking forward to a busy approach to the festive period – and to getting out and about across the Cotswolds as soon possible.

Rebecca is arriving with us at a time when climate change and the loss of nature are at a crisis point, with much work to be done to meet the Government’s target of 30by30 – and National Landscapes have a vital role to play in this work. Our commitment to this in the Cotswolds is strong, and we’re already working with a fantastic network of people and organisations to contribute to solutions.

The team, the Board members, and the Cotswold Voluntary Wardens all extend a very warm welcome to Rebecca. A new era has begun, and we’re all excited to see where it leads.

In early November, we bid farewell to Andy Parsons, our outgoing Chief Executive. Andy took up the role in 2019, and since then has made significant and very positive changes. Bringing the team together, championing partnership working, improving finances and funding, and growing the team to be bigger, better, and stronger. Andy’s five years with CNL have passed quickly and we’ll certainly miss him. We wish him well for his new role as Chief Executive of The Heart of England Forest.

We look forward to our new Chief Executive, Rebecca Waite, arriving in early December.

As another harvesting season draws to a close, and summer comes to a rainy end, our Glorious Cotswold Grasslands team have been out and about through the hotter months working hard to harvest wildflower seed across all their donor sites for the programme.

And the results are in… this summer, the GCG team and their volunteers harvested a staggering 2.5 tonnes of wildflower seed, by hand, across multiple sites in the Cotswolds.

Now it’s been sorted and dried (also by hand), the seed will soon be sown across recipient sites to continue the GCG team’s work to create or restore wildflower-rich limestone grassland across the Cotswolds. Currently, the team is out preparing the ground for sowing. You can keep up with their progress by following along on social media.

Since 2018 and 2019, Simon Smith, our Nature Recovery Lead, has been working with a number of colleagues from other national landscapes on Big Chalk – an ambitious programme of work which aims to restore a mosaic of habitats across an enormous stretch of calcareous landscape in southern England.

After several years of collaboration, the project launched publicly with the Big Chalk Conference 2024 in early September. The partnership of over 150 like-minded organisations showcased how forging vital connections between nature recovery projects across the chalk and limestone landscapes of southern England can achieve a sustainable approach to nature recovery. By uniting resources and expertise, the collective work covers a fifth of England, and aims to build a dynamic nature recovery network that will be central to the UK’s pledge to protect 30% of land and halt the decline of nature by 20230.

The conference was the start of an exciting new chapter in the Big Chalk story. With a programme packed full of best practise, ongoing work, and site visits, delegates were energised to carry forward the work with unparalleled commitment.

Photo: Libra Photographic

Rowan Wynne-Jones from CNL learning how to effectively guide walkers with visual impairments.

National Landscapes teams are always working to widen the welcome we can offer to people, from all walks of life. In the Cotswolds, we have been working with lots of partners over the last few years to improve access on pathways, we’ve been working with young people to inspire them to get outside, and we’ve worked with a range of community groups as part of the Bathscape project.

Recently, members of our team, including some of our Cotswold Voluntary Warden walk leaders, received training on how to guide walkers with visual impairment. The training was led by Marika, who has a visual impairment herself, and uses her first hand knowledge and experience to help others develop their skills. The long term intention is that with this additional training, our volunteer walk leaders working across the Cotswolds will be able to support more people with visual impairments to join our guided walks.

If you’d like to find out more about this recent training, please contact Nicole Daw, our Trails and Access Officer, at nicole.daw@cotswolds-nl.org.uk

Ros, Rowan, and Jennifer – our Everyone’s Evenlode team – have celebrated a successful conclusion to their busiest time of the year for schools delivery!

Through seven weeks in June and July, the team have welcomed over 500 students to river-based learning sessions in the Evenlode catchment area. Feedback forms revealed an impressive 94% satisfaction rate for the sessions. The delivery for the Everyone’s Evenlode project includes outdoor learning , in-class curriculum learning, practical exercises, and the encouragement wherever possible for children to get in the water (safely) and learn more about their local river.

Students report back that highlights for them during the sessions include being in the river, pond-dipping, wearing waders, and walking the streambed in ‘stream safaris’. Teachers say they value the opportunities for students to experience new surroundings, walks from the school gates, and the increased awareness of, and appreciation for, local nature.

A tremendous amount of work goes into planning each session – from the logistics, to equipment, health and safety, and, of course, the content of each session – often tailored to suit the students in attendance. The Everyone’s Evenlode team thrives on the enthusiasm brought by the students and teachers.

We applaud the team, as well as their cohort of brilliant volunteers and delivery partners, for their dedication throughout another academic year…Ros, Rowan and Jennifer are now all taking a little summer break to recharge their batteries.

Recently, our Everyone’s Evenlode team have been working with Refugee Resource, Oxford – whose mission is for refugees, asylum seekers and vulnerable migrants to build meaningful lives as part of the wider community. They offer a range of services including countryside walks designed to relieve mental and emotional distress, enabling their clients to build new lives and integrate successfully into their new communities.

The Everyone’s Evenlode team, supported by the Cotswold Voluntary Wardens, worked with Blenheim Palace to arrange a group day out there this week for Refugee Resource. Blenheim Palace kindly provided a tour guide, who was able to arrange a train ride for the children, as well as an opportunity to play in the new adventure park. Those attending enjoyed a walk, lunch, ice cream, a hedged maze, and the sunny surroundings of the palace grounds. In the hot weather this week, the children particularly relished splashing about in the cooling water features!

The team from Xerox helped out with lots of tasks, including some woodland management. 

Hot on the heels of our last corporate volunteering group, we were recently joined by another enthusiastic group – this time from Xerox. The team works nationally, and this was a great opportunity to get together in person for the day.

Gathering at a stunning quarry, a little off the beaten track – but with dramatic views over the Severn Vale, the group were tasked with a reptile survey, some woodland management, a litter pick, and Himalayan balsam pulling. During the afternoon, they took in a wildlife walk to enjoy this vibrant mosaic habitat – home to a wide range of wildflowers, butterflies, reptiles, and small mammals.

As with all our corporate groups, the team from Xerox arrived with high energy and plenty of enthusiasm – and maintained both throughout the day.

As well as excellent team building opportunities, days like this are a great way for companies to contribute to ongoing conservation work in the Cotswolds. Reducing invasive species like Himalyan balsam helps stop its spread, and litter picking, path widening, and habitat creation help both wildlife and people enjoy the countryside.