It was a surprisingly warm September afternoon as we welcomed 30 members of the local community to join us for a walk along the River Coln from Quenington, an event organised by Dame Fiona Reynolds, the High Sheriff of Gloucestershire.
This was part of a series of walks that are taking place across the county, organised by the High Sheriff’s office with an aim to address some of the big changes and uncertainties facing the county’s communities, while also giving people a voice within their locality.
The idea of New Lives, New Landscapes was actually being honest about the fact that there are big changes and big uncertainties, but also wanting to feel that …we as citizens have some agency. We can play our part and be part of finding solutions.
With the prospect of a hot drink and cakes at Quenington Village Hall at the end of the walk – our setting for more focused discussions – we walked the carefully planned route, looping alongside the River Coln and across farmland – one field already stubble-bare from early harvesting.
Stopping at strategic points, we heard from Sophie Iles, a 9th-generation tenant farmer on our Fairford and Hatherop estates, who has graduated this summer and returned home to manage Home Farm and Leafield Farm with her father, Jeremy. They shared how their regenerative farming practices work with the landscape, increasing biodiversity in the River Coln catchment and surrounding areas.
Our Conservation & Woodland Manager Joe, spoke about the Trust’s active management of the landscape, explaining how we approach challenges such as ash die-back, and how our new Woodland Management Plan will ensure these woodland landscapes are carefully maintained over the next decades for future generations.
Stopping just north of Moss Bridge, our Head of Estate Management, Claire spoke about the River Coln Catchment Management Plan, which has been key to improving and maintaining good river health along this stretch of the Coln. The clear waters we witnessed were testament to this, with improvement in river health and fish numbers (including grayling, our Riverkeeper’s personal favourite).
All of these stories are key threads in the tapestry of rural land management. As our Director of Land, Property & Development, Michael Birnie said,
The demands we all place upon land continue to grow. We ask it to feed us, house us, power our economy, support wildlife, capture carbon, manage water, provide recreation and preserve our heritage – often all at the same time.
Many of these demands emerged in our discussions later in the afternoon at the Village Hall, chaired by Dame Fiona who invited people to share their views through open, honest, inquisitive and informed conversations.
Farming, housing, accessible housing, infrastructure, utilities and the vital role of local plans featured in the discussions, with housing being a particular focus. This was coloured by the Cotswold District Council’s new Local Plan, which proposes a considerable number of new houses across the district. As the Fairford housing proposal is on Ernest Cook Trust land, Michael Birnie responded to questions about how we balance these opportunities and the strategies that inform our decisions which directly impact our local community.
Dame Fiona plans to host an event in March 2027 at the Royal Agricultural University, to share a consolidation of the views and discussions from all the walks around the county. She also made a commitment to share these “with the powers that be.”
As a long-respected and recognised leader in conservation, public service, and education, Dame Fiona is ideally placed to share the county’s views, having shaped national thinking on heritage, landscape protection, and rural policy over many decades in the UK.
