Stately hub for local produce

Weston Park hopes it can develop a new quality food brand to rival Duchy Originals following the unveiling of ambitious plans to promote home-grown produce.

Chief executive Colin Sweeney said the joint venture with BoxFresh Organics would make people "sit up and take notice".

Above right: Des Walker, from Box Fresh Organics, and Colin Sweeney, chief executive of Weston Park, are seen ready to launch the Food Hub at Weston Park

He is putting £80,000 from estate coffers into the project to create a farm shop and regional food hub, providing top-quality fruit, veg, meat and dairy produce.

It will breathe a new lease of life into the historic granary building, which dates from the 17th century, but proposals would see giant glass doors attached to the front.

The building has been redundant since the 1960s and is the first phase in a series of renovation works at Weston Park, near Shifnal.

Of course, access is key and Mr Sweeney said a "significant amount of money" had been spent on improving a direct access road from the granary to the A5. He said: "It has always been the old farm entrance, but there is a need to distinguish between the granary and other activities on the estate and a direct link is the best way of doing it."

He added: "The distribution arm of the business will be up and running by the new year and the shop itself by the end of next summer."

Des Walker, founder of BoxFresh Organics at Roden, delivers fresh organic produce to about 1,000 households across Shropshire, Staffordshire, Cheshire, the West Midlands and North and Mid Wales.

He said: "We have the contacts in sourcing and delivering high quality regional food and Weston Park is the unique setting for the food hub to come together."