& Sonny's Field Collective
Where is it?
At the eastern edge of Wookey village in Somerset are three fields closely entwined with the River Axe. The footpath that crosses them takes you past Highovers Weir and on towards the paper mill at Haybridge.
What is happening at Kingfisher Common?
These beautiful Somerset fields are taking a rest from a long cycle of cattle grazing. Going forward, our intention is to manage them in a way that prioritises their potential to become a thriving, bio-diverse landscape for wildlife - animals, plants, insects, and us - and to grow into a meaningful, nature-rich space within the community, a landscape nearby to enjoy, engage with, respect and protect.
With time and patience we hope to encourage the restoration of habitats and ecosystems within Kingfisher Common, strengthening the ecological diversity of the land, helping it to adapt to environmental changes and build in resilience so that we can secure its uniqueness for future generations.
Why?
There is no secret that nature needs our help. There has been a drastic decline and loss of wildlife and habitats in our countryside. Wildness is under threat from many sources - development, intensive agriculture, pollution....to name but a few. We need opportunities to help nature recover – Kingfisher Common offers us a chance to take our part in the national nature recovery efforts, nurturing the land, making pro-nature decisions for the well-being of the creatures with which we share it and for our own personal health and sense of belonging.
What is the Sonny's Field Collective?
In tune with these aims we also wanted to keep some of the land in food production and have offered inexpensive land rental to independent, ethical, small scale horticultural/land use enterprises that demonstrate and promote sustainability and environmental responsibility within the local food system.
We wanted to encourage and support a new generation of land workers to act on ideas around food security and climate change whilst always working alongside nature and it's natural processes and highlighting the importance of these spaces for local communities, helping to connect them to the food they eat and provide an inclusive environment for growing plants, learning & knowledge sharing.
We are excited to have our first member of the collective, Odd Crops CIC - who are championing unusual edible perennials. Click below to find out more about their food growing plans.
Our ideas? Large Pond/Water meadow
Wildflower meadow generation
Coppicing/coppice plantation
Forest garden
Further tree planting
Set aside/re-wilded areas
Fruit/nut orchard
Small scale food/educational growing project
Community engagement
(rural skill courses, citizen science projects,
creative projects, community allotment, walking tours, school visits)
Who? You and us! - (Nicky and Jo - the current custodians)
Perhaps you know the fields well? We are keen to involve local people and invite you to be part of this journey along with us. If you would like to receive a newsletter every now and then, offer help or expertise, we would love you to get in touch.
You can email us for more information at kingfishercommon.wookey@gmail.com
or simply fill out the form below to be added to our mailing list!
" Fields are ordinary, universal, tamed and practical, but they are also none of these things, or their opposite; they are strange, particular, wild, and as far beyond money as human-inflected things can be.
In their ubiquity and in their endless difference, they are places of continuity and of security but also of risk and transformation"
Tim Dee (Four Fields)