A small Welsh farm in Powys has transformed a former pasture into a thriving vegetable garden, feeding fresh produce directly to children in Birmingham’s holiday clubs. The project, launched by the charity Our Food Trust, gives young growers like Tilly Gomersall the land, housing and support they need to produce bumper crops that reach some of the city’s most disadvantaged families. In just a few weeks, the farm has supplied “a couple of bathtubs” of salad leaves, 28 kg of spring onions and 18 kg of French beans, illustrating how a modest scheme can make a tangible difference to food security and community health.
A New Dawn on Wern Farm
The 15‑hectare (36‑acre) site near Newtown, known as Wern farm, is split into three plots, each with a holiday chalet and shared facilities such as a barn and a diesel generator to back up the farm’s solar panels. Tilly Gomersall’s holding, Cân y Pridd (Welsh for “Song of the Soil”), totals 4.9 hectares, though she currently cultivates only half a hectare, including polytunnels that allow her to “produce very big volumes for the scale.” The land was uncultivated 18 months ago, and Gomersall recalls the early days: “Until now, I’ve just been turning the earth with my own power. We’ve got a two‑wheel tractor, but you do have to heft that around with your body quite a lot and we’re cultivating from pasture, so it’s really hard work.”
Her neighbours, Lydia Dibben and Charlie James, have named their plot Tir a Nant (Land and Stream). Dibben, 28, says the offer was “amazing”: “It was amazing to be offered seven acres, which is a big amount for small‑scale vegetable production, with a house with affordable rent and shared infrastructure.” The charity secured a 95‑year lease from Powys County Council and revised rural planning guidance to allow growers to live on the land they work. Council leader Jake Berriman explains the motivation: “There was a perception that planning was a barrier and we wanted to remove that barrier. We are starting to see genuine concern. We have gone from flood to drought to fire.”
The scheme’s aim is straightforward: give young people access to land without the prohibitive costs of renting or buying, while supplying fresh vegetables to nearby towns and cities. “We have to produce a lot more food for the regional and local market and for our cities,” says Duncan Fisher, joint chief executive of Our Food Trust. “There are lots of well‑trained and skilful growers who can’t find land to grow food on. The price of land here is set by the market, by people who are not going to farm it.”
Feeding Birmingham’s Holiday Clubs
In late July the growers began delivering to Birmingham City Council, where the produce is distributed through holiday clubs for children from low‑income families. About 1,000 children received boxes of Powys vegetables, which they could eat fresh or cook as part of club activities. Sarah Newton, who leads Birmingham’s food‑system team, notes the city’s unique position: “Birmingham is an urban area surrounded by urban areas. If you’re going to feed 1.2 million people, supply chains are the absolute crux of the matter, and we need to strengthen them.”
The arrangement gives the farmers a guaranteed buyer while ensuring nutritious, sustainably produced fruit and vegetables reach deprived areas. The charity also negotiated the contract, providing a safety net as the growers find their feet. “You’ve got children who have not had exposure to different vegetables. There are huge barriers to trying new foods if you’ve never had the opportunity to be exposed to it, it takes 10 to 15 tastes to develop the liking for food,” Newton adds.
On the farm itself, the impact is visible in the harvest. Gomersall reels off the city’s orders: “We’ve supplied a couple of bathtubs of salad leaves, 28 kg of spring onions and 18 kg of French beans.” The gently rolling hills above Wern farm feel a world away from the urban sprawl of Britain’s second‑largest city, yet the connection is a short 70‑mile journey across the Shropshire hills.
The growers also run a veg‑box subscription service for the local community, selling to 35 customers and at regional markets. However, they acknowledge that local demand alone cannot sustain the operation. “Because of the cost of living crisis, there’s a limited amount of people who can afford to buy the veg we produce, and we are growing a hell of lot more than we can sell locally,” Dibben says, adding that selling “a hundred kilos of courgettes a week” to Birmingham feels “really amazing.”
Breaking Down Barriers for Young Growers
The heart of the project lies in its approach to land access. In Wales, only 0.2 % of land is used for horticulture, leaving huge scope for expansion. Fisher points out that many skilled growers are priced out of the market: “The price of land here is set by the market, by people who are not going to farm it.” By securing a long‑term lease and providing affordable housing, the charity removes two of the biggest obstacles for young people entering agriculture.
The partnership with Powys County Council also involved changes to planning guidance for rural enterprise dwellings, allowing growers to live on the land they cultivate. “We wanted to remove that barrier,” Berriman says, reflecting a shift in local attitudes toward food production. “We are starting to see genuine concern. We have gone from flood to drought to fire.”
The arrangement is not just about land; it is about building a community of growers. Gomersall, Dibben and James share equipment, knowledge and labour, creating a supportive network that would be hard to replicate on isolated plots. Their shared facilities—barn, generator, solar panels—lower individual costs and increase efficiency. The model demonstrates how collaborative farming can thrive even in a region where horticulture is currently marginal.
Why This Matters for Britain’s Food Future
Britain imports roughly 40 % of its food, ranking among the lowest self‑sufficiency ratios in western Europe. This reliance leaves the country exposed to supply shocks triggered by the climate crisis, geopolitical tensions and cyber‑attacks. The Wern farm initiative offers a small‑scale proof of concept that could be scaled nationally.
The French government’s projets alimentaires territoriaux (territorial food projects), launched in 2014, provide a parallel example of linking local production with public‑health priorities. Birmingham’s food‑system team sees the Powys partnership as a template for strengthening supply chains: “It’s connecting the entire supply chain on a small scale, looking at all the barriers and the facilitators on the way,” Newton observes. “If we had a coordinated, national approach that we should be eating target foods, you could line up supply and demand nationally and then you’d get a meaningful shift in economies of scale.”
Food policy expert Tim Lang, professor emeritus of food policy at City St George’s, University of London, warns that the UK’s dependence on international supply chains and large retailers is unsustainable. He argues that urban areas like Birmingham must develop resilient, locally sourced food networks. The Powys scheme illustrates how such networks can start with a few determined young farmers, a supportive charity and a willing local authority.
Beyond the immediate benefit of fresh vegetables for children, the project addresses broader societal goals: revitalising rural economies, creating viable career paths for young people in agriculture, and building climate‑resilient food systems. As climate extremes intensify—floods, droughts and