CHILDREN BUILD ELIZABETHAN WENDY HOUSE AT OCCOMBE FARM
An exciting new project is taking place at Occombe Farm during the Easter holidays.  Children will have the opportunity to build an Elizabethan Wendy house at the working farm, using the ancient technique of wattle and daub.

Children and young people will peg together an oak timber frame, then in fill the panels with wattle (woven sticks) and daub the panels with clay and straw. Once built they can play with Tudor contents and even create a Tudor garden. They will also get the opportunity to ‘bush tucker Tudor style' and on the final day enjoy some simple Tudor cooking.

Cllr Anna Tolchard, Cabinet Member for Children's Services said: “We are delighted that we managed to secure the funding to provide this experience for children and young people during the Easter holidays and we are positive that it will be fun for all the family!  We are very pleased to be able to host the event at Occombe Farm , thanks to the Torbay Coast and Countryside Trust.”

Sarah-Jane Lee, Torbay Council's Play Development Worker said “This is a wonderful experience for children because it allows them to buy into it at many different levels; the sensory pleasure of playing with mud, the more intellectual process involved in construction and the sheer joy of playing in the house once they have built it.  The project has been billed as ‘the best mud pie show in town!' "

Torbay Council's Early Years and Childcare Service organised the activity and owe a huge thank you to The Torbay Play Forum and Torbay Council's Cultural Services department for digging deep in their coffers and finding the £900.00 to make it happen.

 It is free to join in the creation of the wattle and daub Wendy house, at Occombe Farm from 9-11 April 10am to 4pm, children of all ages are welcome.  (March 2008).

OCCOMBE FARM INVESTIGATES WIND POWER
Local conservation charity, Torbay Coast and Countryside Trust, are investigating the possibility of generating electricity using wind power at Occombe Farm in the form of a small wind turbine.

An anemometer will be installed in the main car park on Tuesday (12 February), mounted on a 12m mast to measure the wind speed at Occombe Farm over a two month period. The results will then be compared with Met Office data to give the average ann ual energy yield. If the results are positive the Trust will look at installing a small turbine in the future.

Director of the Trust, Dominic Acland said “As an environmental charity we are trying to make all our operations as sustainable as possible. At Occombe we already have solar panels but our electricity consumption is quite high. Installing a small turbine would allow us to demonstrate another source of renewable energy, reduce our carbon emissions and hopefully our bills.”

Any resulting turbine is likely to be 15 to 20 kW in power and mounted around 15m off the ground. This type of small turbine could generate the equivalent to the consumption of six three-bedroom houses.

The Trust secured a small grant from the Naturesave Trust, based in Totnes, to fund the installation of the twin anemometer and wind vane system. The anemometer mast has been developed by a local company, Heidra Ltd, aiming to fill a gap in the market for small scale turbines. (February 2008)

STRAW BALE BUILDING BLOCKS ARRIVE FOR NEXT STAGE
A pioneer new project at Occombe Farm , Paignton, is about to take shape as the straw bale building blocks arrived on site last week. This is the first construction project using straw bales in Torbay and is also a first for South Devon College who are carrying out the construction work as part of an innovative training partnership. Students from the local college will begin laying straw bales to form the walls of the building over coming weeks .

In the construction stages completed so far foundations have been installed and a damp-proof course has been laid, comprising of 180 used car tyres filled with recycled rubble. Stainless steel rods run through the foundations, securing a timber beam to the tyres which the straw bales will be built upon . Around 260 bales will be laid and pinned to one another using coppiced hazel stakes which were specially produced by a local woodsman .

Torbay Coast and Countryside Trust, who manage Occombe Farm, aim to demonstrate how low-carbon technologies can be used to build in a sustainable yet practical way which could be adopted in the wider community . Therefore cement and bricks are b ann ed from the entire project. Director of the Trust, Dominic Acland said “Straw bales make great walls – they are warm, don't contribute to global warming and can be put up very quickly. The one thing you have to be careful of is to keep them dry – otherwise they turn to compost! I'm convinced that one day most houses will be built this way.”

Construction work began at Occombe Farm in November last year and is the first of South Devon Colleges ‘Construction in the Community' projects, providing valuable site experience for the students . College tutor Nick Cleasby received specialist training in order to manage the project following a grant from the Learning & Skills Council. Nick said “The project is creating a very good buzz amongst students; some are even stopping me in the corridors asking if they can be selected to be involved in different stages of the build, they are very willing to give their time to make a positive contribution to the community.” All material costs were funded by a separate grant from an anonymous charitable trust, making the entire project self-funded .

The new straw bale project at Occombe Farm will be a centre for Education, Food and Farming . It is due for completion in May this year, welcoming school groups from September. (January 2008)

TORBAY 'S FIRST STRAW-BALE BUILDING BEGINS 
A new project is underway at a unique educational organic farm in Paignton, to construct Torbay 's first ever straw bale building. The building will be constructed by students from South Devon College in an innovative training partnership which is also a first for the College. Owned by local conservation charity Torbay Coast & Countryside Trust , Occombe Farm opened in March 2006, aiming to reconnect people with food, farming and the countryside.

Low-carbon technologies will be used throughout to demonstrate that these alternative technologies are practical and could be adopted more widely. Cement and bricks are banned, so the foundations will use recycled materials (recycled rubble and car tyres), the walls will be of straw bales coated with traditional lime mortar and pegged together with coppiced hazel stakes and the roof and floor timbers will be made from timber harvested in the Trust's own woodlands.

The building, to be named the Occombe Farm ing and Food Education Centre, is due to open in May 2008 and will become the hub for school and college visits and adult education classes at Occombe Farm . Educational visits to the farm are proving extremely popular but currently have to share space with other uses in the farm café. The straw bale centre will allow exclusive use for teaching groups, housing a single classroom to include a computer suite and learning kitchen with the capacity for 30 pupils.The project is entirely self-funded, receiving a £92,000 grant from an anonymous charitable trust to pay for all materials. South Devon College has secured £30,000 from the Learning and Skills Council for their ‘Construction in the Community' project, to provide a course tutor, student transport and specialist training in the alternative technologies to be used on the project.

Dominic Acland , Director of the Trust, said: “Occombe has proved a huge success educationally, so much so that we urgently need to give our students more space – and to give our commercial premises room to operate effectively. We are delighted to be able to realise this ambition thanks to a generous grant from a local benefactor and thanks to a superb partnership with South Devon College . This is also an opportunity for us to experiment with low-carbon solutions that I am sure will one day be standard-issue on all new buildings”.

Nick Cleasby, Programme Co-ordinator at the College and Project Manager says “We are very pleased to be involved with this project. It will be a very positive, stimulating experience for the students. As well as being able to volunteer their services to a worthwhile community project, they are keen to gain valuable site experience”.

Occombe Farm opened in 2006 and the FARMA judging panel, which included former Award winners, assessed that it was fast on its way to becoming a local landmark, not just for its home-reared, home-grown and home-made foods, but for its educational activities too. They said: ‘It is demonstrating confidence, with excellent and hard-working management producing a strong financial performance and utilising its resources in a well-rounded, sustainable and organic farming regime based on a number of farms over a 20-miles radius, including the one at Occombe itself.'

The Occombe estate and Farm Shop is managed by Torbay Coast and Countryside Trust and profits are ploughed back into the Trust's work which benefits the wider community of the region. At Occombe Farm , visitors are invited to take guided tours of its wet woodlands and meadows, designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest, which provide grazing for Devon Ruby Red cattle, Dorset Down sheep and a small number of pigs and chickens. All the meat from these is sold through the farm shop butchery, and customers are encouraged to follow the links between the countryside around them and the foods sold in the shop via a number of touch-screen information points. The shop sells a wide range of other locally produced foods and plans for 2008 include growing heritage varieties of fruits and vegetables in the walled garden at Occombe's sister farm at Cockington.

Director, Dominic Acland said: “I nearly fell off my chair when this award was announced and I haven't stopped smiling since. Winning this award was no picnic – we were up against some very serious competition indeed and it is a huge boost that we won through. The whole team at Occombe – including butchers, bakers, shop and café staff, rangers and farm staff - takes all the credit for this. It was their passion, dedication and skill that shone through to the judges and they all feel immensely proud of their achievement.”

James Dart, a previous FARMA award-winner and one of this year's judges, commented, ‘ Occombe Farm specialises in local and organic products, and has been built to a very high standard using timber cut from its own woodlands, with the environment at its heart. All the products are clearly labelled with the local producer, a message reinforced by strong visuals around the shop. Occombe farm shop customers have everything they need to know at their fingertips – literally – as food, farming and the environment interact before their eyes.'

‘The FARMA awards recognise and reward that which is special about true farm shops,' said FARMA secretary, Rita Exner . ‘Occombe farm shop has a mission statement: ‘the food we eat shapes the countryside we live in and the choices consumers make affect farmers and the way that land is managed'. FARMA strongly believes that consumers deserve and need alternatives to the supermarkets, and that these alternatives should be interesting, attractive and full of top-quality home-produced foods. Occombe farm shop is a thriving example of a farm retailing business that has set out on a path to be unique. It is not easy; it takes great skill and determination and it is a great pleasure to see this very special farm shop recognised as a winner.'

Occombe Farm Shop was inspected by a FARMA ‘mystery shopper' and then further assessed by expert judges in the farm retailing sector. Occombe Farm Shop was one of only six farm shops short listed for the title of ‘Best Farm Retail Newcomer 2008' before becoming the overall winner. (November 2007)

OCCOMBE FARM'S NEW CROP
Fresh arrivals at Occombe this Spring – amongst the newly-born lambs, calves, piglets and ducklings – are the work of six local artists, inspired by the farm and its environment.

The exhibition, located mainly outside on the farm and mingling with the animals as they graze the fields, features seasonal prints, sculpture, oil paintings and sound recordings. The artists have taken their inspiration from the farmland and unusual flora of the Nature Trail, the animals in the farmyard and the public that use the farm as a place to meet, eat and shop. A leaflet describing the works and the inspiration behind them is available in the Farm Shop.

At the entrance to the farm sculptors Chris Howard and Alain Pezard have created a Berkshire pig in cob. The same artists created “Earth Mother”, a cob cow, in 2006, which became an iconic feature of Occombe during its first year.

In the café Deborah Treliving has created 4 framed prints based on a template made from seeds and grasses collected from the farm. Each print reflects one of the four seasons. In one of the barns housing the Occombe herd of Ruby Red cattle sound artist Kate Paxman has installed a recording of an old farm labouring love song, which echoes hauntingly across the yard. At the entrance to the nature trail is the first of David Harbott's four oil paintings on a sheet-steel base. Each painting reflects upon the scene in front of the viewer, and offers an alternative way of seeing the view.

Suzanne Redstone, from Rocombe Farm (home to the well-known Art Farm Project) has created a sculpture on the nature trail that reflects upon the nature of light and growth.

Finally Sadie Shrub, a Dartington College student, has used Occombe as part of her degree course to investigate the relevance of environmental art, with an installation based on the theme of paper and recycling. Sadie will be running a paper-making workshop during the day on 29 April, which is free to join in.

Dominic Acland , overall manager of the Occombe Farm Project, said: “Commissioning a range of artwork for Occombe Farm is very much part of our aim to inspire and encourage people to take a fresh look at the world around us. Each of these artists, in their own way, challenges us to look at the themes of food, farming and the countryside in a different way”.

The artworks were launched to the public on 29 April and the exhibition will run until 25 October. Please call Torbay Coast & Countryside Trust on 01803 606035 for more information. (April 2007)

Radio 4's food Programme features Occombe
Last week Occombe Farm was highlighted as part of a Food Programme feature on good quality fast food outlets - not because Occombe is a fast food outlet, you understand - but because we are now supplying Venus Cafes (with beach cafes at Blackpool sands and three other south-west beaches) with our organic baps and organic burgers. Sheila Dillon the Food Programme presenter came to the farm for the afternoon, interviewed Dominic and Alan Gough, had a cream tea in the cafe, looked at the cattle and pigs and shopped in the farm shop. The most nervous moment came when Sheila asked a woman with toddler in the farmyard if the cows being so close to the farm shop bothered her. This was after Dominic had told Sheila that we had heard no complaints about the two being in such proximity... and the "vox pop" came up trumps, saying she thought it was good for people to understand the links! You can listen to the programme at http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/progs/listenagain.shtml

Venus Beach Cafe shops at Occombe!
Impressed with the quality of our organic bakery and butchery, Venus Beach Cafe is now sourcing its baps and beefburgers from Occombe. Mike Smith and his team have developed a strong reputation for good quality food allied to a commitment to organic, local suppliers and very high environmental standards. They had been looking for an organic bap for a long time and were delighted when Occombe were ab;e to meet their need. This means we'll be baking up to 1000 baps a week through the Easter-September season especially for Venus, and making several hundred organic beefburgers a week as well. As with all of our beef the Venus burgers come from Devon (and very rarely Cornish) farms and the meat is hung for at least 3 weeks. It's a great partnership and we feel very proud to have one this contract.

Coffee mania in the Bakehouse
Ever since we opened Occombe a year ago we have had customers asking us for cappuccinos, lattes and espressos - and at last we can satisfy their mania for the characteristic sounds of the espresso machine. Working closely with the Coffee Company, a Torquay-based company, we have installed a new machine and are now offering a full range of espresso-based drinks. All with fair-trade and organic coffee, of course! Look out soon for an extended range of Occombe loose bean and freshly ground fairtrade and organic coffees in the farm shop, where we will be grinding coffee to order and bagging up in Occombe branded bags.

Bakehouse Sunday Roast
Another new development in the Bakehouse is the Occombe Sunday Lunch, launched on Mothers Day with great acclaim. The lunch is served on a large platter with the meat laid out, surrounded by the roast potatoes and vegetables, and you help yourself from the platter according to how hungry you feel. It's a different concept and is proving really popular. We are now taking bookings for Sunday lunch, so get in touch if you want to be sure of getting a table.

Piglets, lambs, calves, ducklings...
Spring has positively sprung with lots of lambs from our Dorset Downs skipping in the fields below the farm; a new litter of Berkshire piglets has arrived; and the Ruby Reds are starting to calve. (March 2007)