Countryside Regeneration Trust

10/10/2026

Autumn has arrived at Green Farm!

The apple harvest is complete and c***r season is underway. Our fantastic volunteers at Green Farm in Surrey have been hard at work gathering this year's crop.

A total of 36 bags weighing around 540kg were harvested, but that's a significant drop from last year's impressive 2,000kg harvest. After a summer of heat and drought, many trees have produced fewer and smaller apples, with fruit falling earlier than usual.

Local Farnham company ***r will be turning most of the apples into c***r, while six bags have been set aside for the Community Orchard Project South East Juicing Day at Grover's Garden on October 27.

A huge thank you to all our volunteers who keep traditional orchards thriving. Photo credit to volunteer Tony Owen

10/10/2026

Tune in to ITV’s Love Your Weekend tomorrow at 9.30am to see Matt, Betsie and the family from Nutfield Dairy at Brays Farm on screen!

They’ll be sharing how they farm regeneratively, care for the soil, and introducing viewers to their Dairy Shorthorns and traditional milking parlour.

In the meantime, enjoy these preview photos. We can’t wait to watch the programme and see regenerative farming in the spotlight!

09/10/2026

🍄☠️ Wow... be careful if you spot this fungus out and about!

Thankfully, our team were only admiring it during this week's fantastic fungi foray at Bere Marsh Farm with Jurassic Coast Mushrooms

It's called Funeral Bell for a reason. One of the most poisonous fungi found in Britain, ingestion can cause severe liver damage, vomiting, diarrhoea, hypothermia and, without rapid treatment, can be fatal.

And what brilliant names fungi have! Our group discovered:

Dryad's saddle
Earth balls
Hairy curtain crust
Jelly ear
Deer shield
Blushing brackets
King Alfred's cakes
Field caps
Snowy ink cap
Funeral bell ☠️
Alder bracket
Collared parachutes
And a selection of fairy bonnets!

Missed this week's fungi foray? There are still three more opportunities to join us on 27 October, 4 November and 13 November from 10am to 1pm.

Book your place: www.thecrt.co.uk/Pages/Events/
Tickets: £22 per adult | £20 for CRT Friends and volunteers

08/10/2026

It’s one week today until our first FREE online talk of the season: Aliens among us: invasive species in our countryside

Join our conservation officer, Dr Vince Lea, on Thursday, October 15 (7pm to 8pm) to discover how invasive non-native species are changing our countryside, threatening native wildlife, and costing the UK billions each year.

From American mink to water voles, Vince will explore:

✅The biggest invasive species challenges facing UK wildlife

✅How the CRT is tackling them

✅How you can help make a difference

There will also be plenty of time for your questions.

Booking is essential to receive the joining link and donations are very welcome to support the CRT’s work.

👉Sign up here: www.thecrt.co.uk/Event/aliens-among-us-invasive-species-in-our-countryside

07/10/2026

We're excited to announce details of November's free online talk: Agroforestry to Tackle Climate Change.


Join David Wolfe, co-owner of Wakelyns in Suffolk, on November 12 from 7pm to 8pm, to discover how one pioneering farm has been testing a different way of farming for more than 30 years.

Established in 1994 by David's parents, Ann and Martin Wolfe, Wakelyns combines trees and crops through agroforestry, farms organically, produces food for local markets through short food chains, and uses enterprise stacking by bringing together complementary businesses that support one another on the same land.

The result? A farm that boosts biodiversity, supports local food economies, makes the most of every hectare and offers a practical model for addressing both the climate and nature crises.

David will share the history of Wakelyns, explain why ideas once seen as radical are now influencing farming policy, and discuss plans to secure the farm's future through charitable ownership.

There will also be an opportunity to ask questions following the presentation.

Book your free place: https://www.thecrt.co.uk/Event/agroforestry-to-tackle-climate-change

Donations are welcome to support the work of the Countryside Regeneration Trust.

01/10/2026

A dormouse duvet?

At Turnastone Court Farm in Herefordshire, volunteers monitoring dormouse nest boxes and nest tubes with a licensed holder made a cosy discovery: a dormouse nest woven from sheep’s wool, which is an unusual choice of building material!

While dormice typically build nests from leaves, bark and grasses, this resourceful little mammal opted for an extra-warm woollen lining, demonstrating its willingness to use whatever suitable materials are available and its desire to stay warm. The green hazel leaves wrapped around the nest exterior is distinctive to hazel dormice. They also found its occupant tucked up cosily. Handled by a licenced holder.

Read more about our dormice work across our farms: www.thecrt.co.uk/news/hazel-dormice-found-at-babers-farm

30/09/2026

As the seasons change, so do the moths we see across the UK.

Autumn brings a fascinating range of species whose colours mirror the changing landscape, helping them stay hidden from hungry birds and mammals during the day.

While they may not have the bright colours of summer moths, autumn species have a beauty all of their own.

Pictured here, amongst others, are the subtle greens and browns of the brindled green, alongside the rich russet tones of the sallow and pink-barred sallow, perfect reflections of the season’s changing leaves.

Take a closer look next time you're out and about. Autumn's wildlife is full of hidden gems.

Read more about Autumn moths at Bere Marsh Farm here: www.thecrt.co.uk/news/autumn-moths-at-bere-marsh-farm

24/09/2026

This week is Surrey Rivers Week, with United Nations World Rivers Day taking place on Sunday, making it the perfect time to celebrate the rivers and waterways that flow through our farms.

After an exceptionally dry spell across much of the country, it is a reminder of how precious our water is, where it comes from, and how the way we manage our land affects the health of our rivers.

Across the Countryside Regeneration Trust's farms, we care for stretches of the River Wey at Pierrepont Farm, the River Stour at Bere Marsh Farm, Bourn Brook at Lark Rise Farm and the River Dore at Turnastone Court, as well as several others.

To mark World Rivers Day, we've made an article from The Lark magazine available for everyone to read. It explores how we care for rivers across our farms and why they are so important for wildlife and farming.

📖 Read it here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UW75frhQS5hTblKQI43XgsJH4tT8bLy8/view

If you enjoy it, why not become a CRT Friend and receive future editions of The Lark, with the next issue due out soon: www.thecrt.co.uk/Listing/Category/become-a-friend

23/09/2026

What a wonderful opening ceremony for our renovated grain barn at Pierrepont Farm in Frensham, Surrey.

We're absolutely delighted that the Grade II listed building is now open after years of hard work transforming a historic farm building into a thriving rural business with an ambitious environmentally friendly design.

The Stephen Halkon Freeman Grain Barn was officially opened by Gregory Stafford MP, joined by local councillors, CRT staff, trustees, volunteers and tenants and the contractors, including Form Construction and Outpost, who helped bring the project to life.

The remarkable restoration was made possible through the generosity of Yorkshire donor Stephen Freeman, whose legacy gift will continue to support nature-friendly farming and rural communities for years to come.

Read more in our blog: www.thecrt.co.uk/news/historic-grain-barn-restoration-creates-new-rural-enterprise-hub

22/09/2026

Aliens among us: invasive species in our countryside

We're back with our first FREE online talk of the season!

Join our conservation officer, Dr Vince Lea, on Thursday, October 15 (7pm to 8pm) to discover how invasive non-native species are changing our countryside, threatening native wildlife, and costing the UK billions each year.

From American mink to water voles, Vince will explore:

✅ The biggest invasive species challenges facing UK wildlife
✅ How the CRT is tackling them
✅ How you can help make a difference

There will also be plenty of time for your questions.

Booking is essential to receive the joining link and donations are very welcome to support the CRT’s work.

👉 Sign up here: www.thecrt.co.uk/Event/aliens-among-us-invasive-species-in-our-countryside

#

Discover how non-native species have made their way into our landscape and the effects they have on our native ecology, with CRT Conservation Officer Vince Lea. Learn about pathways to becoming established, what makes some species damagingly invasive and how we can tackle some of them by working tog...