Nature at Home Farm
We’re working towards an ambitious Environment Management Plan at Home Farm. Here’s how you stay is benefitting local conservation…
The Aldenham Estate (where Home Farm sits), is working with experts from Herts & Middlesex Wildlife Trust to implement an ambitious Environment Management Plan designed to increase biodiversity across the Estate and help address the devastating findings of the Hertfordshire State of Nature report that was published in 2020.
So far we have planted nearly 3,000 trees, restored hedgerows, reinstated 6 ghost ponds, removed swathes of non-native plants from our woodlands and installed nesting boxes for a wide range of bats songbirds and owls. We are already starting to see results, with species returning that haven’t been seen for many years, but we still have plenty to do across our woodlands and meadows.
One of our main focuses is to restore and rejuvenate our lake which, despite looking beautiful and serene, has recently been deemed ecologically dead.
The study confirmed some of our worst fears, and highlighted one of the problems we face: it is easy for nature lovers without extensive ecology experience to look at the countryside around us and assume all is well, but in many cases this is entirely untrue. In our case, our wonderful Tykes Water Lake just isn't serving nature effectively. It has the potential to be a valuable habitat for birds, mammals, amphibians and insects and to play a vital role in creating a varied and biodiverse ecosystem for the local area.
The Estate has built partnerships with local schools and businesses to support us with our environmental management work.
The Environment Management Plan was spearheaded by the Estate's owner, Jess, who is incredibly passionate about biodiversity and is constantly looking at ways to ensure her family's land is being used to serve the local community and protect nature.
As the daughter of a farmer, local food production and avoiding food waste are deep-rooted passions for her, with our latest venture being the community kitchen garden and compost system, which our Habitat & Conservation team have been creating over the winter.
Jess started the glamping and At Home Farm event businesses as spaces to remind our often urban-dwelling guests of the joys of spending time in nature.
She did this with the hope of creating a strong sense of stewardship and inspiring change - it's why we encourage guests to explore the wider estate when they stay with us, why you'll see information about the Global Goals around the site at our events, information about composting for glampers and why we donate to the Wildlife Trust with every tent sold.
If you’re coming to visit us this summer we hope you’ll ask our team about the work we are doing, and if you’d like to get involved please do get in touch.
Read about how we pledge to protect nature at Home Farm
