Shropshire's community-owned farm team travels to Devon to meet 'generous' donor behind major expansion
The team behind Shropshire’s pioneering community-owned farm has travelled more than 200 miles to Devon to meet the man who is donating his land to help them double in size.
Staff from Fordhall Organic Farm in Market Drayton made the journey to West Town Farm near Exeter to meet Andy Bragg, the farmer who is gifting his 170-acre site to the Fordhall Community Land Initiative.
Fordhall, which became England’s first community-owned farm in 2006, announced last Monday that it would take over West Town Farm, which, like Fordhall, combines organic farming with community activities, events, and education programmes.
During the visit to the village of Ide, the Fordhall team joined Andy to hear him share details of his "radical plan" to secure the future of his farm after retirement - by placing it into community ownership.
The Fordhall team expressed their gratitude to Andy, describing him as "incredibly generous" for entrusting his farm and its community ethos to the Fordhall Community Land Initiative.
In a post shared online, Fordhall Organic Farm said: "We headed down to Ide, an idyllic village just outside Exeter, to hear Andy Bragg share his 'radical plan' with his local community.
"The Fordhall Community Land Initiative will protect and honour Andy's legacy, West Town Farm’s unique mission and values, nurture the land, and keep it as a working organic farm linked to the community for generations to come."
Andy’s decision to hand over West Town Farm mirrors the same community spirit that saved Fordhall Farm from industrial development nearly two decades ago. In 2005, the siblings Ben and Charlotte Hollins rallied national support to raise funds from over 8,000 shareholders to buy the 126-acre Shropshire farm and protect it in perpetuity.
Both farms now share a vision of putting farming at the heart of rural life - combining food production with social enterprise, education, environmental care, and community involvement.
The official transfer of West Town Farm will take place in 2027, allowing time to finalise governance and legal arrangements. Until then, Andy and his team will continue to manage the Devon site, with support and guidance from Fordhall’s community farming experts.
Once complete, the move will double the land in community ownership under the Fordhall Community Land Initiative and extend its reach far beyond Shropshire - a significant step for the farm.
