Liz Wright, Editor, Smallholder Magazine – looks forward to the 2011 Spring Festival
Smallholder Magazine
Picture taken by Mick Corrigan
Smallholding is for everyone – that’s my motto! Although traditionally a smallholding is thought to be a plot of two to four acres with a house and farm buildings, these days it has come to mean someone’s town garden, somebody else’s land as with the Landshare scheme, an allotment or even a community orchard or city farm. The thinking on who can grow their own food has broadened to include just about anyone who wants to have a go and there are increasing numbers that are doing just that! From a grow bag on the patio to a veg patch, from windowsill salad to a mini orchard with hens in the back garden, smallholding has never been so much fun.
Having edited Smallholder Magazine for over 25 years, I am very proud that we have reflected this increased access to ‘smallholding’ and its reflected too in the RWAS approach. There’s plenty here for the rural dweller with a few acres but there’s a great deal for anyone who has an interest in producing some of their own food or simply in becoming more ‘green’. The Farmers Market is a huge inspiration for what you can do in your kitchen while the Green Horizons shows how everyday living can be greener (and usually cheaper!). The Floral Hall will provide gardeners and would be gardeners with ideas for their patch while the Poultry Section provides a forum for poultry keepers old and new. The talks in the South Glamorgan Hall are by experts and well worth the time. And on top of that there is the crème de le crème on show in the pig, cattle, sheep and goat classes plus vintage tractors, bee keeping, forestry- just so much on offer.
We try to cram as much as we can into the pages of Smallholder Magazine to give readers the options on offer and this Festival brings this to life. I’m so proud and I know everyone at Smallholder Magazine is too, of our now long standing involvement in this Festival and I look forward to greeting friends old and new on our stand between 11- 12.30 on both days – or simply stop me and say hello if you see me around the Festival.
Liz Wright, Editor, Smallholder Magazine – looks forward to the 2011 Spring Festival
www.smallholder.co.uk – follow my blog.
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