26/05/2026
Dear all my friends and wider parish that I may not know yet but hope to get to meet you at some point soon. I’m asking for help and support and any feedback you may have on our next project at Appledore Farm. Having supported the Burlescombe market, Crosses farm shop and various other initiatives locally particularly since Covid to encourage shop local and community help I felt it was time for Appledore farm to do its bit to keep this going particularly with such talk as national security linking so closely to food security and the keen appetite for farms to be more open and inviting for food education.
We have the opportunity to put in place a produce shed within our farm boundary to encourage people to be able to buy local produce as well as particularly well suited by a footpath to venture further into the fields surrounding us while passing the ranging chickens and alpacas and soon to be implemented orchards at Appledore Farm. We have looked at this more direct selling due to the closure of part of our wider farm business being a fertiliser trading partner for Yara. This saw in peak year in excess of 200 arctic Lorrie’s come in and out of Appledore with minimal disruption along with the subsequent coming and going of local farmers to collect mainly in the spring without issue. It has put to me that there’s no possibility that this produce shed can be on the same road that was more than capable of coping with that level of traffic up until this spring? This all with the additional bonus of space to park within the produce shed area in which I think is well equipped even in comparison to the Reeds farm shop at the time with only on road parking available. I would also suggest but I don’t know that a new entrance from a main A road would cost probably hundreds of thousands to get going is this really necessary and something we should use to block local farmers from selling their produce in a local location.
When you look through our application I hope you can see the positives we are aiming to bring to our local area providing a pleasant place to buy local produce, be able to see where it is produced, soak up and share with us the lovely location and scenery that surrounds us as well as link into our local footpath network open to all. You may get the impression that Appledore don’t wish you to enjoy this right but we at Appledore Farm would love to invite and encourage you to exercise this whether or not you wish to purchase from us I welcome you all the same.
I was fortunate enough to be able to carry on the business from my Grandparents who were always innovative in their thinking to keep the farm alive hence the fertiliser trade business. I do hope that as I need to make my life here hopefully for the next 40 plus years I am able to keep the farm alive for the next generation too this does require the farm to be profitable and to diversify and react to market trends and local needs this is all part of being in business. I don’t particularly want to move to the city earn the money and retire back to the country I would wish to stay where I was brought up and coexist with the countryside and local community. I do hope you all get the chance to take a look and let me know your thoughts.
Thanks
Adam.
