Young farmers in Bath have been praised by Metro Mayor Dan Norris for their efforts to protect the city’s pollinators.
Metro Mayor Dan Norris and co-founder Hamish Evans | Photo © WECA
Middle Ground Growers, who provide seasonal veg boxes from their 16-acre farm on Broadmoor Lane for over 160 families every week, scooped one of Mr Norris’s 2023 Bee Bold Awards.
The awards celebrate those going above and beyond to help the region’s pollinators.
The farmers beat off competition from dozens of entries to win an award for their project to create a unique bee-friendly farming model, alongside volunteers, trainees and their team of growers.
The young farmers’ vision is to provide fresh food for the Bath community while supporting the area’s bees and other wildlife at the same time.
Mr Norris visited the site to find out more about the 16-acre farm, including the 800 fruit and nut trees and wildflower meadow.
The Mayor learnt how the farmers have taken steps to scrap single-use plastic packaging and bee-harming chemicals on site and in their supply chains.
They deliver their veg boxes to the local community via e-cargo bikes charged from solar power generated on the farm.
Thanks to support from Mr Norris and the West of England Combined Authority, there are bigger and bolder plans to create more wildflowers, wetlands, and pollinator trails for the community to enjoy on site, as well as help to support other farms in the area to become pollinator paradises as part of the radical ‘Pollinate Avon’ project.
Dan Norris said: “Bees and pollinators are amazing – their hard work means we have fresh fruit and veg to eat year-round, plus they keep our precious countryside looked after.
“It has been fantastic seeing the impact of projects like those led by Middle Ground Growers – a really worthy winner in my Bee Bold Awards.
“This is a unique, and really quite exciting project and organisation – feeding people across Bath and the wider region, but doing that in a way which supports bees and other pollinator superheroes at the same time.
“Plus, my Mayoral Combined Authority is going to help them with their big and bold plans for the future to create more pollinator paradise farms in the West of England.
“It just goes to show not only that these awards will, I am sure, inspire others to take action, but that thanks to projects like this one, we are taking the steps necessary to make our amazing West of England the bee and pollinator capital of the whole country.”
Middle Ground Growers co-founder, Hamish Evans, added: “We’re really excited to witness the increasing biodiversity on this land as we move towards ecological food abundance on our farm – food for nature, for humans, for everyone.
“And we’re really buzzing to be working with the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority and the Pollinate Avon project to facilitate more wildlife abundance on our site whilst working with other amazing land stewards in the valley.
“Our four objectives as Middle Ground Growers are to: Cultivate, Regenerate, Educate and – last but not least – Pollinate.
“We can take inspiration from our flying friends, giving life with each of their actions, and choose to become a force for good in this bioregion, and make it the pollinator capital of the country together.”
